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Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


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JOURNAL 


THIRD  VOYAGE  FOR  THE  DISCOVERY  OF  A  * 


i  NORTH-WEST  PASSAGE 

FROM  THE  ATLANTIC  TO  THE  PACIFIC  ; 

PERFORMED  IN  THE  YEARS  1824—25, 
IN  HIS  MAJESTY'S  SHIPS 

HECLA   AND   FURY, 

UNDER  THE  ORDERS  OF 

CAPTAIN  WILLIAM  E.  PARRY,  R.N.,  F.R.S. 

AND  COMMANDER  OP  THE  EXPEDITION. 


ILLUSTRATED  BY  A  MAP. 


PUBLISHED  BY  AUTHORITY  OF  THE  LORDS  COMMISSIOJVERS 
.   .         OF  THE  ADMIRALTY. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

H.  C.  CAREY  AND  I.  LEA.-CHESNUT  STREET 

18S6. 


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^\  TO 

THE  RIGHT  HONOURABLE  THE 

LOTID  VISCOUNT  MELVILLE, 

FIRST  LORD  COMMISSIONER  FOR  EXECUTING  THE  OFFICE  OF  LORD 
HIGH  ADMIRAL  OF  GREAT  BRITAIN  AND  IRELAND, 

4tc,  ire,  &c. 

THIS  VOLUME, 

CONTAIiriNa 

THE  JOURNAL  OF  A  THIRD  VOYAGE  FOR  THE  DISCOVERY 

OF  A  NORTH-WEST  PASSAGE  FROM  THE 

ATLANTIC  TO  THE  PACIFIC, 

UNDERTAKEN  AND  EXECUTED  UNDER  THE   AUSPICES  OF  HIS  LORDSHIP. 

18  INSCRIBED, 

WITH  THE  GREATEST  RESPECT  AND  GRATITUDE, 
t  HY  HIS  OBLIGED  AND  FAITHFUL  SERVANT, 

WILLIAM  EDWARD  PARRY. 

AniwiRALTT,  June,  1826, 


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ADVERTISEMENT. 


The  English  Edition  of  this  Work  is  accompanied  by  a 
series  of  Meteorological  Tables,  wtiich  would  greatly  increase 
the  bulk,  and  of  course  the  expense  of  this  Edition,  if  ap- 
pended  thereto.  On  mature  reflection,  the  Publishers  have 
judged  it  advisable  to  omit  them,  as  not  being  of  general  uti- 
lity proportioned  to  the  additional  expense  to  the  purchasers. 
The  public  Libraries  contain  the  Quarto  Edition  of  the  Voy- 
age, where  the  curious  may  consult  them. 


I 


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^^        CONTENTS. 


•    i'. 


iNXnODCCTION 

Official  Instructions 


ix 

xvi 


CHAPTER  I. 

Passage  to  the  Whale-iish  Islands,  and  removal  of  Stores  from  the 
Transport — Enter  the  Ice  in  Baffin's  Bay — Difficulties  of  pene- 

^:  trating  to  the  Westward — Quit  the  Ice  in  Baffin's  Bay — Remarks 
on  the  Obstructions  encountered  by  the  Ships,  and  on  the  Severi- 
ty of  the  Season  ...... 


27 


CHAPTER  H. 

Enter  Sir  James  Lancaster's  Sound— Land  at  Cape  Warrender— Meet 
with  young  Ice — Ships  beset  and  carried  near  the  Shore — Driven 
back  to  Navy-Board  Inlet— Run  to  the  Westward,  and  enter 
■     Prince  Regent's  Inlet — Arrival  at  Port  Bowen  .       42 

CHAPTER  m. 

Winter  Arrangements— Improvements  in  Warming  and  Ventilating  the 
Ships — Masquerades  adopted  as  an  amusement  to  the  Men— Es- 
tablishment of  Schools — Magnetic  and  Astronomical  Observations — 
Meteorological  Phenomena  .  .  .55 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Meteorological  Phenomena  continued— Re>equipment  of  the  Ships — 
Several  Joumies  undertaken — Open  water  in  the  Offing — Com- 
1(0;     mence  sawing  a  Canal  to  liberate  the  Ship»— Disruption  of  the 
Ice — Departure  from  Port  Bowen  .79 


i* 


'm 


Vlll 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Sail  over  towards  the  Western  Coast  of  Prince  Regent's  Inlet — Stop- 
ped  by  the  Tee — Reach  the  Shore  about  Cape  Seppings — Fa- 
vourable progress  along  the  Land — Fresh  and  repeated  obstruc- 
tions from  Ice — Both  ships  driven  on  Shore — Fury  seriously  da- 
maged— Unsuccessful  Search  for  a  Harbour,  for  heaving  her  down 
to  repair  ....... 


96 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Formation  of  a  Basin  for  heaving  the  Fury  down— Landing  of  the  Fu- 
ry's Stores,  and  other  Preparations — The  Ships  secured  within 
the  Basin — Impediments  from  the  Pressure  of  the  Ice — Fury  hove 
down — Securities  of  the  Basin  destroyed  by  a  Gale  of  Wind — 
Preparations  to  tow  the  Fury  out — Hecla  re-equipped,  and  obiig- 
d  to  put  to  Sea — Fury  again  driven  on  Shore — Re-join  the  Fury ; 
and  find  it  necessary  finally  to  abandon  her 


112 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Some  remarks  upon  the  Loss  of  the  Fury — And  on  the  Natural  Histo- 
ry, &c.  of  the  Coast  of  North  Somerset — Arrive  at  Neill's  Harbour 
— Death  of  John  Page — Leave  Neill's  Harbour— Re-cross  the  Ice 
in  Baffin's  Bay — Heavy  Gales — Aurora  Borealis — Temperature  of 
the  Sea — Arrival  in  England — Concluding  Remarks  on  some  Na- 
tural Phenomena  peculiar  to  the  Polar  Seas — On  the  Discoveries 
of  the  Old  British  Navigators — And  r  .1  the  North-West  Passage 


132 


APPENDIX. 

NATURAL  HISTORY. 
ZOOLOGY,  by  Lieutehakt  James  Clark  Ross,  R.N.,  F.L.S. 
BOTANV,  by  Pbokissok  Hooker,  F.R.A.  and  L.S.  8ic.  &c. 


165 
196 


GEOLOGY,  by  Professor  Jameson,   F.R.S.E.,   8ic.    &c.   including 

Notes  on  the  Specimens  collected  during  the  former  Voyages  to      %f 
the  Polar  Regions  ......      210 


4'    *• 


H 


INTRODUCTION. 


Notwithstanding  the  want  of  success  which  had  attended 
ihe  efforts  of  the  late  Expedition  to  the  Polar  Seas,  the  en- 
couragement held  out  by  Captain  Franklin's  description  ^of 
the  navigable  state  of  the  sea  on  some  parts  of  the  northern 
coast  of  America,  together  with  that  of  the  Russians  to  the 
westward  towards  Icy  Cape,  induced  His  Majesty's  Govern- 
ment to  cause  another  attempt  to  be  made  for  the  purpose  of 
effecting  a  passage  by  sea,  between,  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific 
oceans;  and  the  Lords  Commissioners  of  the  Admiralty  be- 
ing pleased  once  more  to  honour  me  with  the  command,  I 
was  appointed  to  His  Majesty's  Ship  the  Hecla  on  the  17th 
of  January,  1824;  Captain  Henry  Parky ns  Hoppner  having 
received  his  commission  for  the  Fury  on  the  same  day.  The 
William  Harris,  transport,  of  342  tons.  Lieutenant  J.  W. 
Pritchard,  agent,  was  appointed  to  carry  a  portion  of  our 
heavy  stores  across  the  Atlantic,  and  to  return  to  England 
after  discharging  her  cargo  in  Davi  j's  Strait 

The  equipment  of  this  Expedition  was,  in  most  respects,  so 
similar  to  the  last,  that  it  will  only  be^  necessary  here  ia  notice 
the  few  alterations  and  additions  which  experience  now  led 
us  to  adopt.  The  principal  of  these  consisted  in  placing  Syl- 
vester's warming  stove,  before  described  as  so  effectual,  in 
the  very  bottom  of  the  ships*  holds,  the  whole  being  enclosed 

2 


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X  INTRODUCTION.  ' 

within  a  strong  bulk-head.  The  main  or  direct  volume  of 
warm  air  escaped  through  a  sliding  brass  register  upon  the 
lower-deck;  while  the  flues  which  passed  through  the  cabins 
of  the  officers  into  that  of  the  commander,  were  made  to  run 
along  the  lower  part  or  floor,  and  nearly  close  to  the  ship's 
sides,  which  are  usually  the  coldest  parts.  By  this  improved 
method,  an  increased  rapidity  in  the  current  of  air  was  pro- 
duced, and  therefore  an  additional  warmth  to  the  cabins  most 
distant  from  the  stove. 

In  the  selection  of  provisions,  our  chief  endeavour  on  this 
occasion  was  to  vary  as  much  as  possible  the  kinds  of  meat, 
and  to  increase  to  the  utmost  extent  our  vegetables  and  anti- 
scorbutics. With  this  view  a  small  quantity  of  salt  beef  was 
substituted  for  a  part  of  the  pork,  and  a  much  larger  supply  of 
newly-corned  beef  was  furnished.  The  meats  preserved  in 
tin  consisted  of  beef,  mutton,  and  veal,  some  seasoned  and  some 
plain;  a  pound  of  preserved  carrots  or  parsnips  per  week  for 
each  man  was  substituted  for  a  pint  of  gravy  soup,  and  the 
supply  of  lemon-juice  was  increased  by  one-third.  For 
the  use  of  the  sick,  some  salmon  and  cream,  preserved  in 
tin  cases  by  Mesp  s.  Morrison  and  Company,  were  also  fur- 
nished; the  pickles  consisted  of  onions,  beet-root,  and  cabbage, 
which  are  by  far  the  best  kinds.  In  order  to  make  the  most 
of  our  stowage,  binns  were  built  for  the  pease  and  cocoa,  in 
the  store-room  passages;  and  with  the  same  view  split-pease 
were  furnished,  instead  of  whole  ones.  For  the  use  of  travel- 
ling-parties, we  wore  supplied  with  a  small  quantity  of  beef- 
pemmican,  made  by  pounding  the  meat  with  a  certain  portion 
of  fat,  as  described  by  Captain  Franklin.  ^^ 

To  the  list  of  instruments  before  furnished,  were  added  an 
invariable  pendulum,  and  several  hygrometers  on  Mr.  Da- 


^      '-C 


INTR0DUCTI0I7. 


XI 


niell's  ingenious  construction.  Six  chronometers  were  sup- 
plied by  government  to  the  Hecla*,  and  four  to  the  Fury;  but 
several  of  the  makers,  with  their  accustomed  emulation,  sent 
out  watches  oh  trial,  making  the  Hecla's  whole  number  amount 
to  twelve.  In  addition  to  our  former  establishment,  Lieute- 
nant Henry  Foster  was  appointed  to  the  Hecla,  nominally  as 
assistant-surveyor,  but  in  fact  to  perform  the  duties  of  Astro- 
nomer to  the  Expedition,  for  which  he  was  fully  qualified. 

It  being  customary  to  record  the  names  of  the  officers  em« 
ployed  on  voyages  of  this  nature,  a  Table  is  here  annexed, 
showing  the  whole  establishment  on  board  each  ship. 

*  One  of  these  was  Mr.  Murray's  No.  816,  which  gained  one  of  the  annu&l 
prizes  of  300/.  at  the  Royal  Observatory,  for  its  superior  perfonnance. 


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->        - 

• 

• 

ON  BOARD  THE  HECLA.    | 

ON  BOARD  THE  FURY 

RANK. 

Offlcert*  namca. 

No. 

Officen'  namei. 

No. 
1 

Commander 

William  Edward  Parry 

1 

Henry  Parkyns  Hoppner 

Lieutenants       < 

John  Land  Wynn  .     S 
Joseph  Sherer   .         C 
Henry  Foster         .     3 

3 

S  HoratioThos.Austin  / 
^  James  Clark  Ross     c 

2 

Surgeon  . 

Samuel  Neill,  M.  D. 

1 

Allan  M'Laren 

1 

Purser      . 

William  Harvey  Hooper 

1 

James  Halse 

1 

Assistant-Surgeon 

William  Rowland 
John  Brunton         .    "t 

1 

Thomas  Bell 

1 

Midshipmen      < 

Francis  R.  M.  Crozier  I 

Berkley  Westropp 

Charles  Richards       .  f 

4 

"<  Chas. Crump  Waller  ^ 

3 

I 

Horatio  Nelson  HeadJ 

1  Edward  Bird 

Clerk  . 

James  Harrison     . 

1 

William  Mogg 
James  Moore 

1 

Gunner    . 

John  Brothers  . 

1 

1 

Boatswain    . 

William  Smith       . 

1 

William  Wentworth      . 

1 

Carpenter 

George  Fiddis  . 

1 

Charles  Purfer    . 

1 

Greenland  Master 

John  Allison 

1 

George  Crawford 

1 

Ditto  Mate  . 

George  Chaippion    . 

1 

Thomas  Donaldson 

1 

Cook 

1 

1 

Leading  Men 

4 

4 

Qiiarter-Mastcr 

1 

I 

Gunner's  Mate    . 

1 

* 

1 

Boatswain's  Mate 

1 

1 

Carpenter's  Mates 

2 

2 

Armourer's  Mate 

1 

1 

Sailmaker 

1 

1 
1 

Captain's  Steward 

1 

\ 

Able  Seamen 

2o 

- 

25 

Marines. 

Serjeant 
cAporal  . 

Cliarles  Wise 

1 
1 

John  Morrison 

1 

1 
5 

Privates 

. 

5 

■                        •                        • 

Total 

ii 

. 

SO 

*p 


^ 


|No. 
1 

2 
1 

} 


1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 

1 
4 
1 
1 
1 
2 
1 
1 
1 
25 


INTRODUCTION. 


XllI 


In  the  course  of  our  equipment,  the  ships  were  frequently 
visited  by  Sir  Thomas  Byam  Martin,  Comptroller  of  His 
Majesty's  Navy,  and  subsequently  by  Viscount  Melville,  and 
the  other  Lords  Commissioners  of  the  Admiralty.  Early  in 
May,  we  were  ready  to  proceed  down  the  Thames,  having 
now  received,  as  on  each  former  occasian,  all  possible  assist- 
ance from  the  Navy  and  Victualling  Boards,  and  from  Captain 
Hill,  Commissioner  of  the  Victualling  Depot  at  Deptford,  in 
every  arrangement  which  could  in  the  slightest  degree  contri- 
bute to  the  success  of  our  enterprise,  or  to  our  individual 
health  and  comfort. 


>•■ 

In  performing  the  duty  which  has,  by  their  Lordship's  di- 
rections, once  more  devolved  upon  me,  of  drawing  up  an  ac- 
count of  our  proceedings,  I  have  considered  it  expedient  to 
avoid  all  minute  and  technical  description  of  our  first  season's 
operations,  which,  whatever  labour  and  vexation  they  may 
have  cost  ourselves,  would  probably  have  afforded  little  inte- 
rest or  amusement  to  the  public.  In  the  circumstances  attend- 
ing our  second  season's  navigation,  and  particularly  those 
relating  to  the  loss  of  the  Fury,  I  have  deemed  it  right  to  en- 
ter more  into  detail;  considering,  on  the  one  hand,  that  the 
loss  of  one  of  His  Majesty's  ships  is  an  event  too  serious  to  be 
lightly  disposed  of;  and  on  the  other,  that  I  could  thus  alone 
do  justice  to  the  unwearied  zeal  and  exertions  of  Captain 
Hoppner,  our  officers,  and  men,  on  that  occasion. 

The  nautical,  astronomical,  and  other  observations,  together 
with  the  meteorological  registers,  and  the  description  of  the 
specimens  of  natural  history  brought  home  in  the  Hecla,  have 


h  F 


rv 


Xiv  •       INTRODUCTION. 

been  thrown  into  an  Appendix,  constituting  the  latter  half  of 
the  present  volume.  Our  observations  upon  atmospheric 
refractions  in  high  latitudes,  and  on  the  diurnal  variation  and 
change  of  intensity  of  the  magnetic  needle,  together  with 
Lieutenant  Foster's  experiments  with  an  invariable  pendu- 
lum, have  been  communicated  to,  and  read  before,  the  Royal 
Society;  and  as  I  understand  it  to  be  the  intention  of  that 
learned  body  to  honour  these  several  papers  by  giving  them  a 
place  in  their  Transactions,  the  general  results  alone  have, 
by  the  kind  permission  of  the  President  and  Council,  been 
mentioned  in  this  volume.* 

The  labours  of  Lieutenant  Foster,  in  the  various  and  mul- 
tiplied branches  of  useful  science  to  which  his  attention  is  at 
all  times  directed,  and  for  which  his  talents  so  eminently 
qualify  him,  will  in  themselves  best  serve  to  do  him  the  jus- 
tice which  he  merits.  I  should,  however,  be  ill  requiting 
Lieutenant  Foster  for  the  assistance  (and  I  am  happy  to  ac- 
knowledge the  instruction)  I  have  received  from  him  in  the 
course  of  this  voyage,  if  I  omitted  to  bear  my  testimony  to 
the  unceasing  zeal  and  assiduity  with  which  he  devoted  him- 
self to  every  species  of  observation  and  experiment,  which 
could  promote  the  several  objects  of  the  Expedition,  or  con- 
tribute to  the  interests  of  general  science. 

To  Professors  Jameson  and  Hooker  I  beg  leave  once  more 
to  offer  my  warmest  acknowledgments  for  their  kindness  in 
undertaking  to  examine  and  describe  the  geological  and  bota- 
nical specimens  now  brought  home.  The  memoir  by  the 
former  gentleman  in  the  Appendix,  will  be  found  to  contain 
»  Valuable  and  comprehensive  account  of  the  geological  char- 


acter 
the 
and 
publi 


paid 


•  Pages  64,  65,  67. 


^:~ 


INTRODUCTION. 


XV 


acter  of  all  the  lands  visited  in  the  course  of  our  discoveries  in 
the  Polar  Regions  during  the  last  eight  years.  To  the  zeal 
and  industry  of  Dr.  Neill,  who  entirely  superintended  the 
public  collection  of  specimens  of  Natural  History,  and  has 
furnished  a  variety  of  important  geological  notices,  the  pub- 
lic are  very  highly  indebted;  and  the  Zoological  Appendix  by 
Lieutenant  Ross  will  furnish  ample  evidence  of  the  attention 
paid  by  that  gentleman  to  this  department  of  science,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  immediate  duties  of  his  station. 

I  cannot  close  these  introductory  remarks,  without  once 
more  attempting  to  do  justice  to  the  merits  of  those  whom  it 
has  been  my  good  fortune  to  command  on  this  and  the  former 
occasions  of  a  similar  kind.  To  Captain  Hoppner,  who  has 
been  my  constant  companion  from  the  very  commencement 
of  these  enterprises,  I  feel  every  possible  obligation  for  his 
steady  and  persevering  zeal  in  this  service,  and  for  his  advice 
and  assistance  on  every  occasion.  To  the  officers,  seamen, 
and  marines,  my  best  acknowledgments  are  also  once  more 
due,  for  the  zealous  support  I  have  at  all  times  received  from 
them  in  the  course  of  this  service;  and  I  am  happy  to  repeat 
my  conviction,  that,  had  it  depended  on  their  conduct  and 
exertions,  our  most  sanguine  expectations  would,  long  ere 
this,  have  been  crowned  with  complete  success. 


'■** 


f  V  '  , 


# 


»iti|*^>|iA      n 


OFFICIAL  INSTRUCTIONS. 


By  the  Commisiionera  for  executing  the  ojffice  of 
Lord  High  Admiral  of  the  United  Kingdom 
of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  He, 


4 


Lord  Viscount  Melville  having  communicated  to  the 
King  the  proceedings  of  the  late  Expedition  into  the  Arctic 
Seas,  and  his  Majesty  having  been  graciously  pleased  to  ex- 
press his  commands  that  another  Expedition  should  be  fitted 
out,  for  the  purpose  of  pursuing  the  attempt  to  discover  a  pas- 
sage by  sea  between  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans,  and  of 
ascertaining  the  geography  of  the  Northern  boundaries  of  the 
American  continent;  _  »  , 

We  have  thought  proper  to  appoint  you  to  the  command  of 
the  Expedition,  and  you  are  hereby  required  and  directed  to 
put  to  sea  in  His  Majesty's  ship  Hecla  under  your  command, 
with  His  Majesty's  ship  Fury,  whose  Commander  has  been 
placed  under  your  orders;  and  taking  with  you  the  William 
Harris  transport,  which  the  Navy  Board  has  been  directed  to 
place  at  your  disposal,  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  a  proportion 
of  your  provisions  and  stores  across  the  Atlantic,  you  are  to 
proceed,  as  quickly  as  may  be  consistent  with  a  due  care  not 
to  part  company,  up  Davis's  Strait,  and,  having  arrived  at  the 
latitude  in  which  you  may  think  it  advisable  to  cross  over  to 
the  W^estern  side  of  that  strait,  you  will  take  the  first  favour- 
able opportunity  of  clearing  the  transport  of  the  stores  and 
provisions  with  which  she  is  charged  for  the  use  of  the  Expe- 
dition; and,  having  so  done,  you  are  to  send  the  transport 


OFFICIAL   INSTRUCTIONS. 


17 


back  to  England,  so  as  to  prevent  her  incurring  any  danger 
from  the  ice,  reporting,  by  that  opportunity,  your  proceedings 
to  our  Secretary,  for  our  information,  and  then  making  the 
best  of  your  way  with  His  Majesty's  ships,  in  the  prosecution 
of  your  orders. 

The  experience  of  your  former  voyages  seems  to  prove  that 
the  two  channels  which  afford  the  most  reasonable  prospect  of 
a  passage  for  the  ships  into  the  sea,  which  bounds  the  north 
coast  of  America,  are  that  round  Cockburn's  Island,  near 
which  your  last  voyage  terminated,  and  Prince  Regent's  Inlet, 
which  you  discovered  in  your  former. 

Several  considerations,  but  particularly  the  obstacles  which 
you  found  in  Prince  Regent's  Inlet  in  1819,  might  have  in- 
duced us  to  give  the  preference  to  the  attempt  to  make  a  pas- 
sage round  Cockburn's  Island;  but  the  strong  opinion  which 
you  have  conveyed  to  us  In  favour  of  the  attempt  through 
Prince  Regent's  Inlet,  the  confident  hope  which  you  express 
that  the  ice,  which,  at  the  period  of  the  year  in  which  you 
visited  the  inlet,  obstructed  your  passage,  was  likely  to  be  re- 
moved by  circumstances  of  season  and  weather  within  the 
navigable  part  of  the  year;  and  the  confidence  which  we  are 
justified  in  placing  in  your  judgment  and  experience,  deter- 
mine us  to  authorize  and  direct  you  to  pursue  the  course 
which  you  consider  the  most  promising,  namely,  through 
Prince  Regent's  Inlet 

You  will,  therefore,  after  you  have  despatched  the  trans- 
port home,  make  the  best  of  your  way  to  Lancaster  Sound, 
and,  proceeding  through  Barrow  Strait,  endeavour  to  make, 
through  Prince  Regent's  Inlet,  your  passage  into  the  sea 
which  bounds  the  continent,  and  thence  westward  to  the 
Pacific. 

Should  you  succeed,  in  this  first  attempt  of  passing  through 
Prince  Regent's  Inlet,  it  is  probable,  from  what  has  been  al- 
ready discovered  of  these  parts,  that  you  may  find  different 
courses  opening  to  you.  The  decision  as  to  that  most  likely 
to  conduce  to  the  objects  of  the  Expedition,  must  bo  referred 


* 


'^. 


18 


OFflClAt   INSTKUCTIONS. 


■     \ 


I 


to  your  own  judgment,  on  a  view  of  the  existing  circumstance* 
of  your  own  former  proceedings,  and  of  the  discoveries  of  Cap- 
tain Franklin  (with  a  copy  of  whose  account  of  his  proceed- 
ings you  are  furnished),  at  the  mouth,  and  to  the  eastward,  of 
the  Coppermine  River. 

If  you  should  be  so  successful  as  to  find  a  practicable  pas- 
sage down  to  the  coast  of  America,  you  are  to  make  the  best 
of  your  way  in  accomplishing  the  main  object  of  the  Expedi- 
tion, without  stopping  to  examine  that  coast,  or  for  any  other 
object  not  of  imperious  importance;  but  whenever  the  ships 
may  be  checked  in  their  progress  by  ice,  or  unavoidable  cir- 
cumstances, you  will  take  every  opportunity  of  examining  the 
coasts  and  islands  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  of  making  all 
useful  observations  relating  to  them.  -'*  "-♦•^  **  '^  ^^'  ' 

His  Majesty's  government  having  appointed  two  Land  Ex- 
peditions for  exploring  the  North  Coast  of  America,  the  one 
under  Captain  Lyon,  to  proceed  from  Repulse  Bay  across  the 
Isthmus  towards  Akkoolee,  and  thence  along  the  coast  to- 
wards the  Coppermine  River;  the  other,  under  Captain  Frank- 
lin, to  proceed  from  Mackenzie's  River  to  the  Icy  Cape:  it 
would  be  desirable,  if  you  should  reach  any  part  of  the  coast, 
that  you  should  mark  your  progress  by  erecting  flag-stafis  on  a 
few  of  the  most  distinguishable  points  which  you  may  succes- 
sively visit,  and  you  are  to  bury  at  the  foot  of  each  staff  a  bottle, 
containing  such  information  as  you  think  may  be  useful  to 
the  Land  Expeditions,  and  any  particulars  relative  to  your 
own  proceedings,  which  you  may  think  proper  to  add. 

As  one  of  the  great  difficulties  under  which  Captain  Frank- 
lin's last  expedition  suffered,  was  the  want  of  provisions,  you 
are  also  to  bury  at  the  foot  of  the  flag-staffs  such  proportion 
and  kind  of  provision  as  you  may  think  advisable.  And,  as 
it  is  possible  that  the  flag-staff  may  be  removed  by  natives, 
you  should  surround  it  by  a  pile  of  stones,  conspicuous  from 
some  point  of  the  shore,  which  may  guide  the  Land  Expedi- 
tions to  the  depots  there  left.    '  ->-?  v>  »n{» -7'?^     -WW! 

It  is  unnecessary  to  give  you  any  detailed  directions  as  to 
Ihe  concert  of  signals  with  them,  as  you  have  informed  us  that 


J^. 


'« 


'0. 


I 


OFFICIAL  INSTRUCTIONS. 

you  have  made  arrangements  of  that  nature  with  Captains  Lyon 
and  Franklin,  respectively;  and  if  you  should  meet  with  these 
officers,  or  their  parties,  and  that  they  should  be  desirous  of 
coming  on  board,  you  are  to  receive  them,  bearing  them  as 
supernumeraries.  '*.  *.  *      . » 

Should  you  happily  reach  the  Pacific,  you  are  to  proceed  to 
Kamtschatska,  for  the  purpose  of  delivering  to  the  Russian 
governor  duplicates  of  the  journals  and  other  documents  which 
the  passage  may  have  supplied,  with  a  request  that  they  may 
be  forwarded  overland  to  St.  Petersburg,  to  be  conveyed  from 
thence  to  London.  From  Kamtschatska  you  will  proceed  to 
the  Sandwich  Islands,or  Canton,  or  such  other  place  as  you  may 
think  proper,  to  refit  the  ships  and  refresh  the  crews;  and  if, 
during  your  stay  at  such  place,  a  safe  opportunity  should  oc- 
cur of  sending  papers  to  England,  you  should  send  duplicates 
by  such  conveyance.  And,  after  having  refitted  and  refreshed, 
you  are  to  lose  no  time  in  returning  to  England  by  such  route 
as  you  may  deem  most  convenient.  • 

It  may  happen  that  your  progress  along  the  North  Coast  of 
the  American  Continent  may  be  so  slow  as  to  render  it  desira- 
ble that,  if  you  should  not  be  able  to  accomplish  your  passage 
into  the  Pacific  earlier  than  the  autumn  of  1827,  you  should 
be  assured  of  finding  a  depot  of  provisions  at  that  period,  in 
the  most  advanced  situation  to  which  they  can, safely  be  con- 
veyed. ..♦•»* 

In  the  event,  then,  of  our  not  receiving  from  you  such  in- 
telligence as  may  render  the  measure  unnecessary,  we  shall, 
about  the  close  of  the  year  1826,  direct  the  Commander-in- 
chief  on  the  South-American  station,  to  despatch  a  vessel  with 
a  supply  of  provisions  and  stores,  so  as  to  be  at  Behring's 
Straits  about  August  or  September  1827.  The  commander  of 
this  vessel  will  be  directed  to  make  the  best  of  his  way  round 
Cape  Prince  of  Wales,  where  he  may  expect,  as  we  are  in- 
formed, to  find  an  inlet  in  latitude  68°  30',  in  which  Captain 
Kotzebue  is  stated  to  have  found  anchorage  a  few  years  since. 
He  will  be  directed  to  lie  in  that  anchorage,  or  in  the  nearest 
good  anchorage  he  may  find  to  that  latitude;  and  he  will  be 


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If 


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jji      .  OFFICIAL   INSTRUCTIONS. 

ordered  to  erect,  in  the  most  prominent  and  visible  situation^ 
a  flag-staff  for  your  direction.  As  it  is  possible  that  you  may 
touch  at  the  Sandwich  Islands,  this  officer  will  be  directed  to 
call  at  Owyhee,  in  order  that,  if  you  should  have  passed  to 
the  southward,  he  may  not  be  put  to  the  inconvenience  of  going 
'  on  to  Cape  Prince  of  Wales:  and  this  affords  a  reason  of  pre- 
ference for  your  touching  at  Owyhee.  And  you,  on  your 
part,  if  you  should  first  reach  the  neighbourhood  of  Captain 
Kotzebue's  anchorage,  should  erect  a  flag-staff,  or  a  pile  of 
stones,  in  some  conspicuous  place,  and  bury  a  bottle  with  a 
paper,  which  may  acquaint  the  said  officer  of  your  having 
passed.  This  vessel  will  be  directed  to  remain  in  that  neigh- 
bourhood as  long  in  the  autumn  of  1827,  as  the  season  will 
admit;  and  when  she  is  obliged  to  leave  it,  her  commander 
will  bury,  under  a  pile  of  stones,  in  some  conspicuous  place, 
directions  where  you  may  find  a  depot  of  provisions,  of  such 
species  as  he  may  judge  likely  to  be  most  useful  to  you,  and 
that  he  may  be  able  to  spare. 

Whenever  the  season  shall  be  so  far  advanced  as  to  make  it 
unsafe  to  navigate  the  ships,  on  account  of  the  long  nights 
having  set  in,  and  the  sea  being  impassable  on  account  of  ice, 
you  are,  if  you  should  have  so  far  advanced  as  to  prevent  your 
return  to  England,  to  use  your  best  endeavours  to  discover  a 
sheltered  and  safe  anchorage,  where  the  ships  may  be  placed 
for  the  winter;  taking  such  measures  for  the  health  and  com- 
fort of  the  people  under  your  command,  as  the  materials  with 
which  you  are  supplied  for  housing-in  the  ships,  or  hutting-in 
the  men  on  the  shore,  may  enable  you  to  do.  And  when  you 
find  it  expedient  to  resort  to  this  measure,  if  you  should  meet 
with  any  inhabitants,  either  Esquimaux  or  Indians,  near  the 
place  where  you  winter,  you  are  to  endeavour,  by  every  means 
in  your  power,  to  cultivate  a  friendship  with  them,  by  making 
them  presents  of  such  articles  as  you  m.9y  be  supplied  with, 
and  which  may  be  useful  or  agreeable  to  them.  You  will, 
however,  take  care  not  to  suffer  yourself  to  be  surprised  by 
any  attack  from  them,  but  use  every  precaution,  and  be  con- 
stantly on  your  guard  against  any  hostility.     +*»*«»» -♦•.^^np-nai 


s 


-%* 


'  ^' 


OmClAL  INSTRUCTIONS. 


21 


lay 
to 
to 


5  of 


You  will  endeavour  to  jirevail  on  them,  by  such  reward, 
and  to  be  paid  in  such  manner  as  yoo  may  think  best  to  an- 
swer the  purpose,  in  the  event  of  your  making  progress  to 
'  the  westward,  to  carry  to  any  of  the  settlements  of  the  Had- 
'.  son's  Bay  Company  an  account  of  your  situation  and  proceed- 
■'  ings;  with  an  urgent  request  that  it  may  be  forwarded  to 
England  with  the  utmost  possible  despatch.  '.'   • 

If  you  should,  on  your  arrival  at  Prince  Regent^s  Inlet, 
find  the  passage  to  be  impracticable,  you  are  at  liberty  either 
to  seek  any  other  opening  in  that  quarter,  or  to  wait  in  the 
inlet  for  any  change  in  the  state  of  the  ice  which  you  may 
have  reason  to  expect;  but  if  your  expectations  in  this  parti- 
cular should  be  disappointed,  and  if  you  should  find  yourself 
unable,  during  the  favourable  season,  to  effect  a  passage  to  the 
southward  and  westward,  it  is  evident  that  nothing  can  be 
gained  by  wintering  in  a  situation  which  may  in  any  year  be 
reached  from  England  before  the  passage  can  be  practicable; 
and  we,  therefore,  order  and  direct  that  you  do  not,  under 
such  circumstances,  attempt  to  winter  out,  but  that  if  you  find 
yourself  prevented  from  proceeding,  with  some  prospect  of 
ultimate  success,  further  in  that  direction  than  has  been  already 
explored,  you  are  to  take  care  to  ensure  your  return  to  Eng- 
land at  the  end  of  the  present  season. 

We  deem  it  right  to  caution  you  against  sufiering  the  two 
vessels  placed  under  your  orders  to  separate,  except  in  the 
event  of  accident  or  unavoidable  necessity;  and  we  desire  you 
to  keep  up  the  most  unreserved  communications  with  the 
commander  of  the  Fury,  placing  in  him  every  proper  confi- 
dence, and  acquainting  him  with  the  general  tenor  of  your 
orders,  and  with  your  views  and  intentions,  from  time  to  ' 
time,  in  the  execution  of  them,  that  the  service  may  have  the 
full  benefit  of  your  united  efforts,  and  that  in  the  event  of  un- 
*  avoidable  separation,  or  of  any  accident  to  yourself.  Captain 
Hoppner  may  have  the  advantage  of  knowing,  up  to  the  latest 
period,  all  your  ideas  and  intentions  relative  to  a  satisfactory 
completion  of  the  undertaking.         •        ;  v   „4::'..4     '  ?  i  > .  * 


llfM 


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22 


OFFICIAL  INSTRVCTIOMS* 


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■4 


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We  also  recommend  that  as  frequent  an  exchange  take 
place  as  conveniently  may  be,  of  the  observations  made  in  the 
two  ships;  that  any  scientific  discovery  made  by  the  one  be, 
as  quickly  as  possible,  communicated  for  the  advantage  and  ' 
guidance  of  the  other,  and  to  increase  the  chance  of  the  ob- 
servations of  both  being  preserved. 

We  have  caused  a  great  variety  of  valuable  instruments  to- 
be  put  on  board  the  ships  under  your  orders,  of  which  you 
will  be  furnished  with  a  list,  and  for  the  return  of  which  you 
will  be  held  responsible;  and  we  have  appointed  Lieutenant 
Foster,  as  assistant  surveyor,  an  officer  well  skilled  in  astro- 
nomy, mathematics,  and  various  branches  of  knowledge,  to 
assist  you  in  making  such  observations  and  experiments  as 
may  tend  to  the  improvement  of  geography  and  navigation, 
and  the  advancement  of  science  in  general.  We  deem  it  un- 
necessary to  specify  these  objects,  a  detail  of  which  you  have 
already  been  furnished  with,  in  our  instructions  for  the  guid- 
ance in  your  late  Expeditions,  and  to  which  we  refer  you; 
not  doubting  from  the  zeal  and  ability  with  which  you  have 
conducted  the  former  Expeditions,  that  you  will  on  this  be 
equally  diligent  in  collecting  information  yourself;  and  you 
will  impress  on  the  minds  of  Captain  Hoppner  and  all  the  offi- 
cers under  your  command,  the  importance  and  necessity  of 
each  respectively  using  his  best  exertions  to  promote  the  se- 
veral scientific  objects  of  the  Expedition. 

From  Captain  Hoppner  we  have  every  reason  to  expect 
drawings  of  the  land,  of  natives,  and  their  various  implements, 
and  of  objects  of  natural  history,  in  which  he  will  be  assisted 
by  Mr.  Head,  who  has  received  an  appointment  as  Admiralty 
Midshipman,  principally  with  this  view.  You  are  to  direct 
Lieutenant  Foster  to  be  particularly  careful  to  keep  an  accu- 
rate register  of  all  the  observations  that  shall  be  made,  in  the 
same  form,  and  according  to  the  same  arrangement,  that  were 
followed  by  Captain  Sabine  and  Mr.  Fisher  on  the  late  voy- 
ages; and  you  are  to  place  in  charge  of  Lieutenant  Foster  the 
several  chronometers  with  whieh  you  have  been  supplied  for 
the  Hecla.      "  '       •**  *   *  J 


w^^ 


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OFVICIAL  INSTRUCTIONS. 


Si 


•  You  are  to  avail  yourself  of  every  opportunity  of  colle<^ng 
and  preserving  specimens  of  such  objects  of  natural  history  as 
may  be  neW)  rare,  or  interesting;  and  you  are  to  instruct ' 
Captain  Hoppner,  and  all  the  other  officers,  to  use  their  best 
diligence  in  increasing  the  collections  in  each  ship;  the  whole 
of  which  must  be  understood  to  belong  to  the  public.  <jm«k^ 
.  The  knowledge  which  Doctor  Neill,  surgeon  of  the  Hecla, 
has  been  represented  to  us  to  possess  in  this  department  of 
science,  will  be  of  material  service  to  you  in  arranging  the 
collections  of,  and  making  notes  upon,  the  various  subjects  of 
natural  history.  In  the  event  of  any  irreparable  accident  hap- 
pening ia  either  of  the  two  ships,  you  are  to  cause  the  officers 
and  crew  of  the  disabled  ship  to  be  removed  into  the  other, 
and  with  her  singly  to  proceed  in  prosecution  of  the  voyage, 
or  return  to  England,  according  afi  circumstances  shall  appear 
to  require;  understanding  that  the  officers  and  crews  of  botli 
ships  arc  hereby  authorised  and  required  to  continue  to  per- 
form their  duties  according  to  their  respective  ranks  and  sta- 
tions, on  board  either  ship  to  which  they  may  be  so  removed. 
Should  unfortunately  your  own  ship  be  the  one  disabled,  you 
are,  in  that  case,  to  take  command  of  the  Fury;  and,  in  the 
event  of  any  fatal  accident  happening  to  yourself.  Captain 
Hoppner  is  hereby  authorized  to  take  the  command  of  the 
Expedition,  either  on  board  the  Hecla  or  Fury,  as  he  may 
prefer,  placing  the  officer  of  the  Expedition  who  may  then 
be  next  in  seniority  to  him,  in  command  of  the  second  ship; 
also  in  the  event  of  your  own  inability,  by  sickness  or  other- 
wise, at  any  period  of  this  service,  to  continue  to  carry  these 
instructions  into  execution,  you  are  to  transfer  them  to  Cap 
tain  Hoppner,  or  to  the  surviving  officer  then  next  in  com- 
mand to  you,  who  is  hereby  required  to  execute  them  in  the 
best  manner  he  can,  for  the  attainment  of  the  several  object  s 
in  view.    .  A 

In  the  event  of  England  becoming  involved  in  hostilities 
with  any  other  power  during  your  absence,  you  are  neverthe- 
less clearly  to  understand  that  you  are  not  on  any  aernuiit  to 


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94 


OFFICIAL   INSTRUGTIOirS. 


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1- 1 


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commit  any  hostile  act  whatsoever;  liie  Expedition  under  your 
orders  being  only  intended  for  the  purpose  of  discovery  and 
science,  and  it  being  the  practice  of  all  civilized  nations  to 
consider  vessels  so  employed  as  excluded  from  the  operations 
of  war.  And,  confiding  in  this  general  feeling,  we  should 
trust  that  you  would  receive  every  assistance  inni>  the  ships 
or  subjects  of  any  Foreign  Power,  which  you  may  fall  in  with; 
but  special  application  to  that  effect  has  been  made  to  the  re- 
spective goveniments.  "f''*^.  -^^ 
You  are,  whilst  executing  thfe  service- pointed  out  in  these 
instructions,  to  take  every  opportunity  tthttt  may  ofier  of  ac- 
quainting our  secretary,  for  our  information,  with  your  pro- 
gress: and,  on  your  arrival  In  England,  you  are  immediately 
to  repair  to  this  office,  in  order  to  lay  before  us  a  full  account 
of  your  proceedings  in  the  whole  course  of  your  voyage; 
taking  care  before  you  leave  the  ship,  to  demand  from  the  offi- 
cers, petty  officers,  and  all  other  persons  on  board,  the  logs 
and  journals  they  may  have  kept,  together  with  any  drawings 
or  charts  they  may  have  made,  which  are  all  to  be  sealed  up; 
and  you  will  issue  similar  directions  to  Captain  Hoppner  and 
his  officers,  &c. ;  the  said  logs,  journals,  or  other  documents, 
to  be  thereafter  disposed  of  as  we  may  think  proper. 

Given  under  our  hands,  the  12th  of  May,  18*4. 
,.  Melville, 

Wm.  Johnstone  Hops, 

G.  CocKBuaN, 

G.  Clerk, 

W;  R.  K.  DoroLAS. 


To 


William  Edward  Parry,  Esq., 
Captain  qf  His  Majesty's  Ship 
the  Htclu. 

•     .      By  Command  of  their  Lordships 


.'i^r   f>- 


.1.  W.  Croker. 


'i 


ADDITIONAL  INSTRUCTIONS. 


* 


Admiralty  Office^  I2th  May^  1824. 


Sir, 

In  reference  to  that  part  of  your  general  orders  which 
relates  to  the  ship  intended  to  be  sent  in  the  autumn  of  1827 
to  meet  you ,  I  am  commanded  by  my  Lords  Commissioners 
of  the  Admiralty  to  communicate  to  you  the  following  addi- 
tional information: — 

It  is  thought  advisable,  with  a  view  of  assisting  the  ob- 
jects of  Captain  Franklin's  Expedition,  that  the  vessel  in- 
tended to  meet  you  in  1827  should  endeavour  to  meet  him 
in  1826. 

Her  commander  will,  therefore,  be  directed  to  reach  those 
latitudes  in  the  summer  of  1826,  to  make  such  discoveries 
and  observations  as  may  open  themselves  to  him,  and  to  look 
out  for  Captain  Franklin,  or  even  for  you,  if  you  should  be 
so  fortunate  as  to  accomplish  the  passag^e  in  that  year. 

He  will  remain  in  that  neighbourhood  as  late  as  the  season 
will  admit,  and  will  then  repair  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  or 
to  the  nearest  place  where  he  may  be  able  to  replenish  his 
provisions;  when  he  will,  as  early  as  possible  in  the  year  1827 
(if  you  should  not  have  already  met  him),  proceed  to  act  in 
the  manner  detailed  in  your  instructions.  ? 

He  will  mark  his  proceedings  in  1826  by  the  erection  of 
flag-staffs  or  piles  of  stones;  and  with,  notices  where  may  be 
found  a  depot  of  provisions,  which  he  will  leave  on  his  de- 
parture that  year,  as  well  as  in  1827. 

I  am,  Sir, 

Your  very  obedient  Servant, 

.T.  W.  Choker. 
Captain  T aruy,  Hecla. 


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THIRD 


VOYAGE  FOR  THE  DISCOVERY 


'.'Hi- 


OF   A 


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NORTH-WEST  PASSAGE. 


CHAPTER  I. 


PASSAGE  TO  THE  WHALE-FISH  ISLANDS,  AND  REMOVAL  OP 
STORES  FROM  THE  TRANSPORT ENTER  THE  ICE  IN  BAF- 
FIN'S HAY DIFFICULTIES  OF  PENETRATING  TO  THE  WEST- 
WARD— QUIT    THE     ICE     IN     BAFFIn's    BAY REMARKS    ON 

THE    OBSTRUCTIONS    ENCOUNTERED   BY   THE    SHIPS,  AND  ON 
THE    SEVERITY   OF   THE    SEASON. 

The  equipment  of  the  H^cla  and  Fury,  and  the  loading  of 
the  William  Harris  transport,  being  completed,  we  began  to 
move  down  the  river  from  Deptford  on  the  8th  of  May,  and 
on  the  10th,  by  the  assistance  of  the  steam-boat,  the  three 
ships  had  reached  the  Northfleet,  where  they  received  their 
powder  and  their  ordnance  stores.  Two  days  were  here  em- 
ployed in  fixing,  under  the  superintendence  of  Mr.  Barlow 
and  Lieutenant  Foster,  the  plate  invented  by  the  former  gen- 
tleman for  correcting  the  deviation  of  the  compass,  produced 
by  the  attraction  of  the  ships'  iron;  and  the  continuance  of 
strong  easterly  winds  prevented  our  getting  to  the  Nore  till 
the  16th.  During  our  stay  at  Northfleet,  the  ships  were 
visited  by  Viscount  Melville,  and  the  other  Lords  Commis- 
sioners of  the  Admiralty,  who  were  pleased  to  approve  of  our 
general  equipment  and  arrangements. 


i 


f 


28 


#' 


'J'lIIUD   VOYAGE   FOR  THE   DISCOVERY 


On  the  18th  Commissioner  Cunningham  came  on  board,  td 
nay  the  ships'  companies  their  arrears  of  river  wages,  and  also 
three  months  in  advance.     Our  few  remaining  wants  were 
readily  supplied  by  the  kindness  of  Vice  Admiral  Sir  Benja- 
min Hallowell,  our  kind  friend  Commissioner  Cunningham, 
and  Commodore  Sir  Edward  Owen;  and  at  three  a.  m.  on 
the  19th,  we  weighed  and  stood  to  sea.     On  the  following 
morning  we  fell  in  with  his  Majesty's  sloop  Brisk;  when  her 
commander.  Captain  Hope,  came  on  board,  and  it  being  his 
intention  shortly  to  put  into  Yarmouth  for  water,  he  kindly 
offered  to  accompany  us  for  a  day  or  two,  to  take  our  pilots 
and  letters.     The  Sylvia,  revenue  cutter,  joining  us  the  same 
day,  Lieutenant  White,  her  commander,  who  was  immediately 
bound  to  Harwich,  received  our  letters,  with  which  he  parted 
company  the  same  evening.     Light  and  unfavourable  winds 
prevented  our  finally  clearing  the  sands  till  the  25th,  when 
Captain  Hope  received  our  pilots,  and  also  our  despatches  and 
letters,  giving  us  the  usual  salutation  of  three  hearty  cheers, 
as  he  bore  up  for  Yarm'outh.     Light  and  variable  winds  still 
obstructed  our  progress,  but,  by  a  singular  coincidence,  we 
passed  through  the  Pentland  Firth  on  the  30th,  being  the 
same  day  that  we  had  taken  our  departure  from  the  Orkneys 
three  years  before.     I  wrote  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Admi- 
ralty, informing  him  of  the  progress  of  the  expedition  thus 
,  far,  and  having  committed  our  letters  to  the  charge  of  the 
pilot,  to  be  landed  at  Thurso,  bore  up  to  the  westward  with  a 
favourable  breeze.     The  variation  of  the  magnetic  needle, 
observed  with  Mr.  Barlow's  plate,  was  28°  12'  W.,  corres- 
ponding, within  a  few  minutes,  with  that  observed  at  Long- 
Hope  in  1819.     In  passing  Bara  and  Rona  on  the  morning  of 
the  31st,  our  observations  placed  the  west  end  of  the  former 
island  in  latitude  59°  06'  45",  longitude  by  chronometers  6°  11 '. 
During  our  passage  across  the  Atlantic,  and  afterwards  on 
our  way  up  Davis's  Strait,  we  threw  overboard  daily  a  strong 
copper  cylinder,  containing  the  usiial  papers,  giving  an  account 
tjf  our  situation.    We  also  took  every  opportunity  afforded 


n» 


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-^^. 


A  NORTH-WJiST   PASSAGE. 


4». 


29 


by  light  winds,  to  try  the  temperature  of  the  sea  at  difierent 
depths,  as  compared  with  that  at  the  surface,  of  which  an  ac- 
count will  be  given  in  another  place. 

On  the  12th,  as  we  began  to  approach  the  meridian  of  Cape 
Farewell,  we  met,  as  usual,  with  flocks  of  sheerwaters,  (pro- 
cellariapujffinuSfJ  which  have  received  their  popular  name 
from  the  uniformity  with  which  they  are  here  seen.     From 
the  12th  to  the  16thj  being  between  the  parallels  of  58°  and 
61^°,  and  the  meridians  of  37°  and  56°,  we  passed  seven  pieces 
of  drift-wood,  from  four  to  sixteen  feet  in  length,  all  appear- 
ing like  the  root-end  of  the  trunks  of  small  trees  that  had 
been  a  good  while  in  the  water.     On  the  16th  we  saw  the 
first  iceberg,  being  in  latitude  60d°,  longitude  55°;  and  after 
that  time  we  fell  in  with  those  bodies  of  ice  almost  daily. 
The  temperature  of  the  sea,  which  was  50°  soon  after  our 
leaving  Orkney,  experienced  little  alteration  in  our  passage 
across  the  Atlantic,  till  we  had  reached  the  longitude  of  33°; 
it  then  pretty  gradually  decreased  to  32°,  about  the  meridian 
of  56°,  in  latitude  63i°.     Its  temperature  from  this  time,  as 
usual  in  the  Polar  Seas  during  the  summer,  varied  from  28° 
to  36°,  according  to  our  proximity  to  ice,  or  the  contrary. 
On  entering  Davis's  Strait,  we  had  a  long  succession  of  thick 
weather,  which  prevented  our  obtaining  an  observation  for  the 
latitude  during  a  whole  week;  but  as  this  was  accompanied 
by  south-easterly  winds,  our  progress  was  a  rapid  one.     On 
the  21st,  at  noon,  we  observed  three  miles  to  the  southward  of 
the  Arctic  Circle,  being  in  the  longitude  of  57°  06'  31";  and 
after  running  thirty  miles  in  a  N.^W.  course,  we  made  the 
packed  ice,  which  had,  for  several  hours  before,  been  distinctly 
indicated  by  a  clear  bright  <<blink,"  assuming  the  form  of  a 
low  well-defined  arch,  extending  over  the  whole  western  ho- 
rizon.    On  hauling  up  a  few  points  to  the  eastward,  we  soon 
lost  sight  of  it,  and  early  on  the  following  morning  passed 
Reef-koll,  in  twenty-five  fathoms'  water,  at  the  distance  of 
ten  or  twelve  miles,  sailing  among  a  number  of  grounded  ice- 
bergs, which  usually  announce  a  ship's  approach  to  this  head- 


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THIRD   VOYAGE   FOR  THE  DISCO 


RY   > 


land.  There  is  said  to  be  a  dry  shoal  off  Reef-koll  (or  Ris- 
kol,  as  it  is  called  in  some  charts),  at  the  distance  of  ten  miles; 
but  I  have  never  met  with  it,  and  can  obtain  no  good  informa- 
tion respecting  it 

I  now  determined,  as  the  quickest  and  most  secure  mode  of 
clearing  the  transport,  to  anchor  at  Whale-fish  Islands,  rather 
than  incur  the  risk  of  hampering  and  dan^aging  her  among 
the  ice.     Fresh  gales  and  thick  weather,  however,  prevented 
oiir  doing  so  till  the  26th,   when  we  anchored  at  eight  a.m., 
in  seventeen  fathoms,  mooring  the  ships  by  hawsers  to  the 
rocks,  and  then  immediately  commenced  our  work.     In  the 
mean  time,  the  observatory  and  instruments  were  landed  on 
a  small  island,  called,  by  the  Danes,  Boat  Island,  where  Lieu- 
tenant Foster  and  myself  carried  on  the  magnetic  and  other 
observations,  during  the  stay  of  the  Expedition  at  this  anchor- 
age, of  which  a  survey  was  also  made. 
We  received  great  attention  and  civility  from  the  Danish  autho- 
rities at  this  place,  as  well  as  atLievely ,  in  the  Island  of  Disko,  to 
which  settlement  Captain  Hoppner  and  myself  went  in  a  boat 
on  the  30th.    We  found  there,  besides  the  inspector,  Mr. 
West,  and  the  other  officers  resident  in  the  colony.  First  Lieu- 
tenant Graah,  of  the  Danish  navy,  who  had  for, some  time 
past  been  employed  in  surveying  the  coast  of  Greenland,  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  the  settlements,  and  who  kindly  shewed 
us  the  charts  he  was  engaged  in  constructing.     Among  other 
information,  he  communicated  to  us  the  situation  of  a  danger- 
ous newly-discovered  rock,  dry  at  low  water,  and  bearing 
from  the  flag-staff  on  Lievely  point  S.  43°  W.,  distant  7i 
miles.  *    After  dining  with  the  inspector,  we  returned  to  the 
ships  in  the  afternoon  accompanied  by  th?rt  gentleman  and  Lieu- 
tenant Graah,  receiving,   as  we  left  tHe  harbour,  a  salute  of 
twelve  guns.     The  latitude  of  Lievely,  by  Lieut  Graah's  ob- 
servations, the  result  of  which  he  unreservedly  communicated, 

*  I  find,  since  my  return  to  England,  that  Lieutenant  Graah  has  done  me 
the  kindness  to  distinguish  this  rock  by  my  name,  on  his  chart. 


0 


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illt%«  *dP   A  NORTH-W*!JT   PASSAGE. 


31 


is  69°  14'  32",  the  longitude  53°  42'  west  of  Greenwich,  and 
the  variation  of  the  magnetic  needle  72°  westerly. 

The  harbour  of  Lievely  is  excellent  for  small  vessels, 
having  a  good  depth  of  water,  and  being  quite  land-locked; 
but  it  appears  rather  narrow  for  ships  of  three  or  four  hun- 
dred tons.  The  settlement  is  principally  situated  on  the 
south  shore  of  the  harbour,  where  there  are  several  tolerably- 
built  wooden  houses,  among  which  that  of  the  inspector  is  a 
good-looking  and  convenient  one.  There  are  but  six  or  seven 
Danes,  besides  the  officers,  belonging  to  the  establishment; 
and  most  of  the  Esquimaux  were,  at  this  season,  ab^nt  in  the 
interior,  for  the  purpose  of  killing  rein-deer,  from  which  occu- 
pation they  do  not  usually  return  till  September  or  October, 
when  their  services  begin  to  be  required  for  the  whale-fishery,  the 
latter  being  carried  on  here  only  during  the  winter  months. 
A  small  schooner  lying  in  the  harbour,  is  sent  every  summer 
to  bring  the  oil  from  the  northern  settlements,  in  readiness  for 
t^|e  arrival  of  the  vessels  which  come  annually  for  the  purpose  of 
taking  that  article  to  Copenhagen,  and  at  the  same  time  bringing 
out  supplies  of  provisions  and  other  stores.  On  our  return  to  the 
ships  we  found  arrived  there  Lieutenant  Holboll,  of  the  Danish 
navy,  a  gentleman  much  attached  to  the  pursuits  of  natural 
history,  who  was  engaged  in  making  a  collection  of  speci- 
mens of  the  animal  kingdom,  principally  birds,  with  which 
he  was  shortly  about  to  return  to  Copenhagen.  He  was  ac- 
companied by  a  clergyman  and  another  gentleman  belonging 
to  one  of  the  southern  establishments,  who  came  on  board  our 
ships  to  pay  us  a  visit.  We  did  not  fail  to  shew  them  every 
attention  in  return  for  their  civilities,  and  they  returned  on 
shore  much  pleased  with  their  reception.  On  the  following 
day,  when  the  gentlemen  left  us  for  Lievely,  we  returned 
their  salute  with  an  equal  number  of  guns;  and  I  gladly  take 
this  opportunity  of  remarking  how  much  we  were  gratified 
by  our  intercourse  with  them.  To  Mr.  Plum,  the  principal 
officer  at  the  Whale-fish  Islands,  I  also  feel  particularly  obliged 
for  his  attentions,  and  for  the  offer  of  every  assistance  in  his 
power. 


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THIRD  VOYAGE   FOR  THE    DISCOVERT 


,  :^i: 


m 


f 


'.t^ 


^'     Early  on  the  morning  of  the  3rd  of  July,  the  whole  of  our 
stores  being  removed,  and  Lieutenant  Pritchard  having  re- 
ceived his  orders,  together  with  our  depatches  and  letters  for 
England,  the  William  Harris  weighed  witfj  a  light  wind  from 
the  northward,  and  was  towed  out  to  sea  by  our  boats.     The 
day  proving  calm,  we  employed  it  in  swinging  the  Hecia,  in 
order  to  obtain  the  amount  of  the  deviation  of  the  magnetic 
needle,  and  to  fix  afresh  the  iron-plate  for  correcting  it     On 
the  following  morning,  the  wind  being  southerly,  the  pilots 
came  on  board,  and  the  Hecla  weighed  to  run  through  the 
'  north  pasisage;  in  doing  which,  she  grounded  on  a  rock  lying 
directly  in  the  channel,  and  having  only  thirteen  feet  upon  it 
at  low  water,  which  our  sounding  boats  had  missed,  and  of 
which  the  pilot  was  ignorant.     The  tide  being  that  of  ebb,  we 
were  unable  to  heave  the  ship  oflF  immediately,  and  at  low 
water  she  had  sewed  three  feet  forward.     It  was  not  till  half- 
past  one,  p.  M. ,  that  she  floated,  when  it  became  necessary  to 
drop  her  down  between  the  rock  and  the  shore  with  hawsecs; 
after  which  we  made  sail,  and,  being  soon  after  joined  by  the 
Fury,  which  came  out  by  the  other  chaunel,  we  stood  round 
the  islands  to  the  northwards.     This  rock  was  not  the  only 
one  found  by  our  boats  which  may  prove  dangerous  to  ships 
going  in  and  out  of  this  harbour,  and  with  which  our  pilots 
were  unacquainted.     Another  was  discovered  by  Mr.  Heitd, 
about  one-third  of  the  dista'i^e  across  from  Kron  Prins  Island 
to  the  opposite  shore  of  the  S.  E.  entrance,  and  has  not  more 
than  eighteen  feet  water  on  it  at  low  tide;  it  lies  very  much  in 
the  way  of  ships  coming  in  at  that  channel,  which  is  the  most 
commonly  used.     The  latitude  of  the  island  on  which  the 
observations  were  made,  called  by  the  Danes  Boat  Island,  is 
74°  28'  15";  its  longitude,  by  our  chronometers,  53°  12'  56"; 
the  dip  of  the  magnetic  needle,  82°  S3',  66;  and  the  variation, 
70°  23'  57"  westerly.   The  time  of  high  water,  at  new  moon, 
on  the  26th  of  June,  was  a  quarter  past  eight,  the  highest  tides 
being  the  third  and  fourth  after  the  conjunction,  and  the  per- 
pendicular rise  seven  feet  and  a  half. 


OP  A  NORTH-WEST  PASSAGE.        **' 


33 


For  the  following  remarks  on  the  geologic  al  charact  of 
these  islands  I  am  indebted  to  Dr.  Neill.  • '  Four  of  Jie 
islands  belonging  to  this  groupe,  which  we  examined  during 
our  stay,  are  composed  of  well-defined  gneiss,  intersected  by 
veins  of  red  feldspar,  and  beautiful  quartz,  nearly  approaching 
to  rose-quartz,  the  strata  dipping  towards  the  N.  N.  E.,  at 
an  angle  of  23°.  In  the  composition  of  the  rock,  the  quartz 
predominates;  the  mica,  which  is  nearly  black,  is  next  abun- 
dant, and  the  feldspar  most  sparing.  On  examining  a  recent 
fracture,  the  feldspar  is  scarcely  perceptible;  it  is  only  on  sur- 
faces that  have  been  long  exposed  to  the  influence  of  the 
weather  that  it  seems  evidently  to  compose  part  of  this  rock. 
In  one  place  we  noticed  a  detached  mass  of  greenstone,  con- 
taining a  number  of  crystals  of  glassy  actynolite,  but,  unfor- 
tunately, the  mass  was  so  tough  that  it  could  not  be  broken 
without  destroying  the  crystals. " 

The  ships  standing  in  towards  Lievely  on  the  afternoon  of 
the  5th,  Lieutenant  Graah  very  kindly  came  off  to  the  Fury, 
which  happened  to  be  the  nearest  in-shore,  for  the  purpose  of 
taking  leave  of  us.  On  his  quitting  the  ship,  a  salute  of  ten 
guns  was  fired  at  Lievely,  which  we  returned  with  an  equal 
number;  and  I  sent  to  Lieut.  Graah,  by  a  canoe  that  came  on 
board  the  Hecla,  an  account  of  the  situation  of  the  rocks  we 
had  discovered.  Light  northerly  winds,  together  with  the 
dull  sailing  of  our  now  deeply  laden  ships,  prevented  our 
making  much  progress  for  several  days,  and  kept  us  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  numerous  ice-bergs,  which  it  is  dangerous 
to  approach  when  there  is  any  swell.  We  counted  from  the 
deck,  at  one  time,  no  less  than  one  hundred  and  three  of  these 
immense  bodies,  some  of  them  from  one  to  two  hundred  feet 
in  height*  above  the  sea;  and  it  was  necessary,  in  one  or  two 
instances,  to  tow  the  ships  clear  of  them  with  the  boats.  We 
had  occasion,  about  this  time,  to  remark  the  more  than  usual 


/' 


% 


*  We  had  occasionally  the  means  of  guessing,  with  tolerable  precision, 
the  height  of  the  ice-bergs,  by  the  Fury  passing  close  to  them. 

5 


■  ^ 


...J'>ll"  ■      *• " 


^ 


M' 


THIRD  VOYAGE   FOR  THE  DISCOVERY 


il 


*«■' 


frequency  of  fogs  with  a  northerly  wind,  a  circumstance 
from  which  the  whalers  are  accustomed  to  augur  a  considera- 
ble extent  of  open  water  in  that^irection. 

In  standing  off  to  the  westward,  we  made  the  main  ice  in 
the  longitude  of  58i°,  scarcely  differing  five  miles  from  its 
position  in  1819  in  the  same  latitude,  and  about  the  same 
season.  The  land  of  Disco  was  high  above  the  horizon,  and 
quite  distinct  at  the  distance  of  three-and-twenty  leagues. 
On  the  evening  of  the  13th,  being  in  latitude  71°  02',  and 
longitude  58°  36',  the  ice  was  observed,  on  the  clearing  up  of 
a  fog,  to  be  slack  for  a  considerable  distance  within  the  mar- 
gin of  the  "pack."  Though  it  was  my  intention  to  have 
attempted  the  passage  across  it  to  the  westward,  in  a  latitude 
one  or  two  degrees  higher,  the  favourable  appearance  it  now 
assumed,  combined  with  a  fair  wind  and  its  usual  accom- 
paniment, clear  weather,  induced  me  at  once  to  enter  it, 
which  was  accordingly  done,  and  the  ships  pushed  several 
leagues  within  the  margin. 

The  ice  soon  beginning  to  close  around  us,  our  progress 
became  so  slow,  that,  on  the  17th,  we  saw  a  ship  at  the  mar- 
gin of  the  "  pack,"  and  two  more  on  the  following  day.  We 
supposed  these  to  be  whalers,  which,  after  trying  to  cross  the 
ice  to  the  northward,  had  returned  to  make  the  attempt  in  the 
present  latitude;  a  supposition  which  our  subsequent  difficul- 
ties served  to  strengthen.  From  this  time,  indeed,  the  ob- 
structions from  the  quantity,  magnitude,  and  closeness  of  the 
ice,  were  such  as  to  keep  our  people  almost  constantly  em- 
ployed in  heaving,  warping,  or  sawing  through  it;  and  yet 
with  so  little  success,  that,  at  the  close  of  the  month  of  July, 
we  had  only  penetrated  seventy  miles  to  the  westward,  or  to 
the  longitude  of  about  63°  10'.  Here,  while  closely  beset, 
on  the  1st  of  August,  we  encountered  a  hard  gale  from  the 
south-east,  which  pressing  the  ice  together  in  every  direction, 
by  mass  overlaying  mass  for  hours  together,  the  Hecla  receiv- 
ed several  very  awkward  «  nips,"  and  was  once  fairly  laid 
on  her  broadside  by  a  strain  which  must  inevitably  have  crush- 


^ 


%^S  OF   A  NORTH-WEST  PASSAGE.  35 

ed  a  vessel  of  ordinary  strength.  In  such  cases,  the  ice  is 
forced  under  a  ship's  bottom,  on  one  side,  and  on  the  other  up 
her  side,  both  powers  thus  acting  in  siDch  a  manner  as  to  bring 
her  on  her  "  beam-ends."  This  is,  in  fact,  the  most  favoura- 
ble manner  in  which  a  ship  can  receive  the  pressure,  and 
would  perhaps  only  occur  with  ice  comparatively  not  very 
heavy,  though  sufficiently  so,  it  is  said,  to  have  run  complete- 
ly over  a  ship  in  some  extreme  and  fatal  cases.  With  ice  of 
still  more  formidable  dimensions,  a  vessel  would,  probably,  by 
an  equal  degree  of  pressure,  be  absolutely  crushed,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  increased  difficulty  of  sinking  it  on  one  side, 
and  causing  it  to  rise  on  the  other.* 

This  gale,  whicH  commenced  on  the  31st  of  July,  was  the 
only  strong  or  even  fresh  breeze  we  experienced  in  the  course 
of  that  month;  and  the  indications  of  the  barometer,  during 
its  continuance,  deserve  to  be  noticed.  On  the  morning  of 
the  31st,  about  the  time  the  breeze  commenced,  the  mercury 
began  to  rise  from  29,255,  and  reached  30,271  on  the  evening 
of  the  1st  of  August,  when  the  breeze  moderated,  the  weather 
cleared  up,  and  the  barometer  again  began  to  fall.  Neither 
in  the  strength  nor  the  direction  of  the  wind,  nor  in  :  ho  state 
of  the  atmosphere,  did  the  mercury  indicate  the  weather  we 
should  have  anticipated  from  it;  for  the  breeze,  sooti  after  the 
fall  of  the  barometer,  shifted  to  the  northward,  with  a  clear, 
dry  atmosphere,  whereas  the  column  had  continued  to  rise 
steadily  during  thirty  hours  of  strong  southerly  wind,  accom- 
panied by  thick  and  wet  weather. 

While  thus  detained,  there  was  not  the  smallest  f.pnearance 
of  any  clear  water  to  the  westward,  and  I  remarked,  more- 
over, that  contrary  to  what  had  hitherto  been  the  case,  we  had 

*  It  has  more  than  once  occurred  to  me,  under  such  stress  of  materials 
as  this,  that,  independently  of  the  absolute  strength  of  our  ships,  the  cir- 
cumstance of  their  being  quite  full,  And  stowed  with  minute  attention  to 
closeness  in  every  part  of  their  holds,  might  have  contributed  something 
towards  their  withstanding  such  enormous  pressure. 


"^^ 


/' 


.^^_ 


THIRD  VOYAGE   FOR  THE   DlSCOVERr 

not  drifted  in  that  direction,  notwithstanding  the  strength  and 
duration  of  the  gale.  I  determined,  on  this  account,  to  direct 
our  endeavours  more  tt)  the  northward,  in  hopes  of  there  find- 
ing the  ice  less  compact  By  dint  of  constant  and  extreme 
labour,  and  at  the  expense  of  some  of  our  westing,  we  gained 
the  latitude  of  72°  34'  on  the  19th  of  August,  where  the  ice 
still  presented  as  impenetrable  a  barrier  as  before.  Continuing 
our  efforts  to  push  to  the  northward,  we  had,  on  the  29th  ot' 
August,  arrived  in  latitude  73^  15',  on  the  meridan  of  63° 
40',  in  which  situation,  from  our  experience  in  1819,  we  had 
reason  to  expect  there  would  scarcely  have  been  any  ice  at 
this  season.  The  obstructions,  however,  continued  nearly 
the  same,  notwithstanding  our  being  much  favoured  by  south- 
easterly winds,  till  the  8th  of  September,  in  latitude  74°  07', 
and  longitude  69°  54',  or  about  one  hundred  and  ten  mileis  to 
the  W.  N.  W.  of  the  situation  in  which  we  cleared  the  "pack" 
in  the  year  1819.  Here  the  ice  became  more  slack,  but  it 
was  not  till  the  following  day  that,  having  forced  our  way 
about  forty  miles  farther,  or  to  the  latitude  of  74°  14',  and 
longitude  72°  25',  we  at  length  succeeded  in  releasing  our- 
selves from  the  more  than  ordinary  barrier  of  ice  in  the  middle 
of  Baffin's  Bay. 

I  shall,  doubtless,  be  readily  excused  for  not  having  entered 
in  this  journal,  a  detailed  narrative  of  the  obstacles  we  met 
with,  and  of  the  unwearied  exertions  of  the  officers  and  men 
to  overcome  them,  during  the  tedious  eight  weeks  employed 
in  crossing  this  barrier.  I  have  avoided  this  detail,  because, 
while  it  might  appear  an  endeavour  to  magnify  ordinary  diffi- 
culties, which  it  is  our  business  to  overcome  rather  than  to 
discuss,  I  am  convinced  that  no  description  of  mine,  nor  even 
tlie  minute  formality  of  the  log-book,  could  convey  an  ade- 
quate idea  of  the  truth.  The  strain  we  constantly  had  oc- 
casion to  heave  on  the  hawsers,  as  springs  to  force  the 
ships  through  the  ice,  was  such  as  perhaps  no  ships  ever 
before  attempted;  and  by  means  of  Phillips's  invaluable  cap- 


n 


m 


•  ♦ 


OF   A   NOBTH-WEST   PASSAGE. 


37 


stan,*  we  often  separated  floes  of  such  magnitude  as  must 
otherwise  have  baffled  every  eflbrt.  In  doing  this,  it  was 
next  to  impossible  to  avoid  exposing  the  men  to  very  great 
risk,  from  the  frequent  breaking  of  the  hawsers.  On  one  oc- 
casion three  of  the  Hecla's  seamen  were  knocked  down  as  in- 
stantaneously as  by  a  gun-shot,  by  the  sudden  flying  out  of  an 
anchor,  and  a  marine  of  the  Fury  suffered  in  a  similar  mannev 
when  working  at  the  capstan;  but  providentially  they  all  "es- 
caped with  severe  contusions.  A  more  serious  accident  "occur- 
red in  the  breaking  of  the  spindle  of  the  Fury's  windlass, 
depriving  her  of  the  use  of  the  windlass-end  during  the  rest  of 
the  season. 

In  considering  the  causes  of  this  our  bad  success,  it  will  not 
be  difficult  to  shew,  by  comparison  with  what  we  experienced 
on  former  occasions,  that  it  was  to  be  attributed  to  an  extreme- 
ly unfavourable  season,  both  as  regarded  the  quantity  and 
closeness  of  the  ice,  as  well  as  the  actual  temperature,  and  the 
general  state  of  the  weather  during  the  month  of  August,  the 
very  best  of  the  year  for  navigation  in  these  seas.  It  has  al- 
ready been  seen  that  the  main  body  of  ice  reached  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  farther  to  the  W.  N.  W.  in  the  parallel 
of  about  74°,  than  it  did  in  1819,  while  the  eastern  margin, 
where  we  entered  it,  was  found  precisely  in  the  same  meridian 
as  usual  at  that  season;  so  that  the  actual  breadth  of  the  barrier 
appears  to  have  been  fifty  leagues  greater  than  before.  In 
the  absence  of  actual  observations  during  the  preceding  win- 
ter, it  is  not  easy  to  conjecture  whether  this  circumstance 
arose  from  the  unusual  severity  of  that  dreary  season  in  182  J 
and  1824,  or  from  the  tardiness  of  the  returning  summer's 


*jfe 


*  I  cannot  omit  this  opportunity  of  expressing  my  admiration  of  this  in- 
genious contrivance  in  every  trial  to  which  we  put  it  in  the  course  of  this 
voyage.  Oy  the  perfect  facility  with  which  the  machinery  is  made  to  act, 
or  the  contrary,  it  is  easily  altered  and  applied  to  any  purpose,  in  ten  or 
fifteen  seconds ;  and  the  slowness  and  consequent  steadiness  of  the  power, 
render  it  infinitely  less  trying  to  the  hawsers  tb»u  any  purchase  we  were 
before  enabled  to  adopt  on  board  a  siiip. 


! 


38 


THIRD   VOYAGE    FOR   THE   DISCOVERY 


warmth  in  dissolving  the  ice  produced  during  the  winter; 
either  of  which  causes,  but  more  particularly  both  combined, 
would  sufficiently  account  for  it  That  the  summer  was  a 
wretched  one  we  had  too  much  reason  to  know.;  and  the  fol- 
lowing comparative  view  of  the  temperature  of  August,  1824, 
with  that  of  the  five  preceding  and  one  following  year,  will 
afford  very  striking  evidence  of  the  fact: —  vh    . 


i'^ 


»      '  1 

Latitude. 

VSKriRATITBI. 

^  ■'■:fi«in   ■' 

r 

Max. 

•Min, 

Mean. 

1819     . 

.     74  to  75      . 

+  42 

+  28 

+  33.7 

1820     . 

.     74  to  75      . 

45 

22 

32.6 

1821      . 

.     65   to  66|    . 

48 

28 

36.6 

k  •       1822     . 

.     About  69^  . 

50 

27 

33.7 

1823     . 

.     69|  to  66^  . 

55 

24 

37.8 

•        1824     . 

.     71    to  731  .     . 

36.5 

16 

29.7 

=,       1825     . 

.     72^  to  73i  .     . 

51 

25 

35.8 

:WB 


H\ 


..   ; 


*  t 


Not  less  remarkable  than  the  temperature  of  August  was 
the  extraordinary  weather  which  accompanied  it,  and  which, 
indeed,  may  perhaps  be  considered  as  its  cause;  for  of  the 
thirty-one  days  in  that  month,  there  was  actually  but  one  in 
which  we  had  not  a  deposite  of  snow,  sleet,  rain,  or  fog,  du- 
ring some  part  of  the  twenty -four  consecutive  hours;  and  a 
northerly  wind,  which  is  the  usual  harbinger  of  a  clear,  dry, 
wholesome  atmospiiere, .  was  just  as  thick  as  any  other. 
For  ten  weeks  in  July,  August,  and  September,  though  we 
were  constantly  watching  for  an  opportunity  of  airing  the 
.ships'  companies'  bedding  on  deck,  we  could  only  venture  to 
do  so  once. 

When  a  considerable  fall  of  snow  in  light  flakes  takes  place 
at  a  low  summer  temperature,  the  formation  of  young  ice  is, 
of  course,  very  greatly  accelerated,  and  this  was  so  much  the 
case  in  the  present  instance,  that  on  several  days,  even  in  the 
middle  of  August,  the  ships  could  scarcely  be  dragged  through 
it;  whereas  that  obstruction,  the  most  tedious  and  vexatious 


;;«. 


^'l 


or  A   NORTH-WEST   PASSAGE. 


39 


we  have  to  cor  ^end  with,  never  occurred  to  us  before,  till 
full  a  month  later  than  this.  The  appearance  around  us,  un- 
der these  circumstances,  was  sometimes  a  curious,  and,  to  our 
prospects  of  advancement,  rather  an  alarming  one;  for  the 
water  and  the  air  being  both  too  cold  to  dissolve  the  snow,  it 
remained  floating  u^on  the  surface  till  every  pool  was  entirely 
covered  with  it,  so  that  the  sea,  which  just  before  had  been 
diversified  with  alternate  light  and  dark  patches,  was  imme- 
diately converted  into  one  uniform  surface  of  white.  This 
phenomenon,  to  the  extent  in  which  it  now  occurred,  was  to 
me  a  new  one;  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that,  had  the  tem- 
perature continued  low  for  two  or  three  days  together,  while 
the  sea  was  thus  covered,  a  sheet  of  ice  would  have  been 
formed,  too  solid  to  have  been  again  dissolved  during  the  sante 
season.  It  was  impossible,  therefore,  not  to  apprehend  at 
times,  that  a  continuance  of  weather  so  unseasonable  might 
expose  us  to  the  unpleasant  dilemma  of  being  frozen  up 
during  a  winter  in  the  middle  of  Baffin's  Bay. 

During  our  passage  across  the  ice,  the  temperature  of  the 
sea-water  at  the  surface  differed  at  times  from  28°  to  32°,  this 
change  evidently  depending  on  the  quantity  of  ice  which  was 
dissolving  and  covering  the  surface  at  the  time;  but  during 
colder  weather,  when  little  or  no  dissolution  was  going  on, 
the  temperature  of  28°  almost  invariably  prevailed.  On  our 
leaving  the  western  margin  of  the  ice,  it  rose  at  eight  leagues' 
distance,  to  32°,  then  fell  immediately  to  31°  id  30°,  which 
continued  for  sixty  miles  on  a  westerly  course,  and  then  gra- 
dually decreased  to  28°,  on  approaching  Sir  James  Lancaster's 
Sound.  In  the  year  1819  its  temperature  remained  at  37°, 
for  a  run  of  sixty-three  miles  in  the  same  direction.  Our 
detention  in  the  ice  afforded  occasional  opportunities  of  trying 
the  temperature  and  specific  gravity  of  the  sea-water  at  differ- 
ent depths;  an  account  of  these  experiments,  together  with  a 
few  others  subsequently  obtained,  will  be  given  in  one  con- 
cise view,  at  the  close  of  this  season's  narrative. 


} 


.1 


k 


m 


THIRD  VOTAOE    FOR  THE  DISCOVERT 


Our  soundings,  in  crossing  Baffin's  Bay,  increased  with 
tolerable  regularity  as  we  advanced  to  the  westward.  When 
only  a  few  miles  within  the  eastern  margin  of  the  ice,  on  the 
15th  and  16th  of  July,  we  had  from  two  hundred  and  thirty- 
five  to  two  hundred  and  eighty  fathoms,  muddy  bottom.  On 
the  18th,  the  depth  had  increased  to  three  hundred  and  fifty- 
five  fathoms,  and  on  the  21st  no  soundings  could  be  gained 
with  four  hundred  and  seventy.  Advancing  still  farther  to 
the  northward  and  westward,  a  line  of  seven  hundred  to  se- 
ven hundred  and  fifty  fathoms  did  not  reach  the  ground. 

The  constant  besetment  of  the  ships,  and  our  daily  obser- 
vations for  latitude  and  longitude,  afibrded  a  favourable  op- 
portunity for  ascertaining  precisely  the  set  of  any  currents  by 
>"^ich  the  whole  body  of  ice  migHt  be  actuated.  .  By  attend- 
ing very  carefully  to  all  the  circumstances,  it  was  evident  that 
a  daily  set  to  the  southward  obtained,  when  the  wind  was 
northerly,  differing  in  amount  from  two  or  three,  to  eight  or 
ten  miles  per  day,  according  to  the  strength  of  the  breeze  j 
but  a  northerly  current  was  equally  apparent,  and  fully  to 
the  same  amount,  whenever  the  wind  blew  from  the  south- 
ward. A  circumstance  more  remarkable  that  these,  however, 
forced  itself  strongly  upon  my  notice  at  this  time,  which  was, 
tliat  a  westerly  set  was  very  frequently  apparent,  even  against 
a  fresh  breeze  blowing  from  that  quarter.  I  mention  the 
circumstance  in  this  place,  because  I  may  hereafter  have  to 
offer  a  remark  or  two  on  this  fact,  in  connexion  with  some 
others  of  a  similar  nature  noticed  elsewhere. 

With  respect  to  the  dimensions  of  the  ice  through  which 
we  had  now  scrambled  our  way,  principally  by  warping  and 
towing,  a  distance  of  between  three  and  four  hundred  miles, 
I  remarked  that  it  for  the  most  part  increased,  as  well  in  the 
thickness  as  the  extent  of  the  floes,  as  we  advanced  westward 
about  the  parallel  of  71°.  During  our  subsequent  progress  to 
the  north,  we  also  met  with  some  of  enormous  dimensions, 
several  of  the  floes,  to  which  we  applied  our  hawsers  and  the 


OP   A   NORTH-WEST  PASSAGE.'^ 


41 


power  of  the  improved  capstan,  being  at  their  margin  more 
than  twenty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea;  and  over  some  of 
these  we  could  not  see  from  the  mast-head.  Upon  the  whole, 
however,  the  magnitude  of  the  Ice  became  somewhat  less  to- 
wards the  north-west,  and  within  thirty  miles  of  that  margin 
the  masses  were  comparatively  small,  and  their  thickness 
much  diminished.  Bergs  were  in  sight  during  the  whole 
passage,  but  they  were  more  numerous  towards  the  middle  of 
the  "  pack,"  and  rather  the  most  so  to  the  southward. 

The  birds  we  saw  were  rotges  (Mca  Mle),  looms  (Uria 
Brunnichii),  dovekies  (Colymhus  Grylle),  and  ivory  gulls 
(Larus  Eburneus);  but  the  rotges  were  by  far  the  most  nu- 
merous, occurring,  at  times,  in  considerable  flocks,  and  occu- 
pying the  small  pools  of  open  water  between  the  floes,  espe- 
cially to  the  westward.  A  flock  of  ducks,  appearing  generally 
of  the  eider  species,  was  also  now  and  then  observed,  and 
even  as  early  as  the  middle  of  August  these  were  always  fly- 
ing to  the  south-eastward.  A  few  solitary  seals,  and  two  or 
three  bears,  were  all  that  we  saw  besides,  only  one  or  two 
whales  occurring  till  after  we  had  entered  Sir  James  Lancasi 
ter's  Sound.  •  ,  ..      . 


i  • 


^* 


% 


*■. 


\\    L 


"<l^ 


•  t 


^mL, 


42 


THIRD  VOYAGE   FOR  THE    DISCOVERY 


.■■*•■),,■:.      li 


•*uV*^.o^ 


^V.     -"<^  :    'il.  ■>," 


.,>»'i. 


"j".  /*><»' r.  >      ■:-'' 


^'"    ,         ^  CHAPTER  II. 

ENTER     SIR     JAMES     LANCASTER'S    SOUND — LAND     AT     CAPE 

WARRENDER — MEET    WITH    YOUNG    ICE SHIPS  BESET  AND 

CARRIED  NEAR  THE  SHORE DRIVEN  BACK  TO  NAVY-BOARD 

INLET — RUN     TO     THE    WESTWARD,     AND    ENTER     PRINCE 
regent's    inlet — ARRIVAL    AT   PORT    BO  WEN.  '    '' 

All  our  past  obstacles  were  in  a  moment  forgotten,  when 
we  once  more  saw  an  open  sea  before  us;  but  it  must  be  con- 
fessed that  it  was  not  so  easy  to  forget  that  the  middle  of 
September  was  already  near  at  hand,  without  having  brought 
us  even  to  the  entrance  of  Sir  James  Lancaster's  Sound. 
That  not  a  moment  might  be  lost,  however,  in  pushing  to  the 
westward,  a  press  of  canvass  was  crowded,  and  being  happily 
favoured  with  an  easterly  breeze,  on  the  morning  of  the  10th, 
we  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  high  bold  land  on  the  north  side 
of  the  magnificent  inlet  up  which  our  course  was  once  more  to 
be  directed.  From  the  time  of  our  leaving  the  main  body  of 
ice,  we  met  with  none  of  any  kind,  and  the  entrance  of  the 
Sound  was,  as  usual,  entirely  free  from  it,  except  here  and 
there  a  berg,  floating  about  in  that  solitary  grandeur,  of 
which  these  enormous  masses,  when  occurring  in  the  midst 
of  an  extensive  sea,  are  calculated  to  convey  so  sublime  an 
idea.  ^  .    ' 

On  the  morning  of  the  11th,  the  ships  being  taken  a-back 
with  a  fresh  westerly  breeze,  when  near  Cape  Warrender,  I 
landed  in  a  small  bay  close  to  the  westward  of  it,  accompa- 
nied by  several  of  the  officers,  in  order  to  examine  the  coun- 
try, and  to  make  the  necessary  observations.  Dr.  Neill  ob- 
served, on  landing,  that  "  the  beach  was  covered  with  fragments 
of  flesh-coloured  feldspar,  closely  studded  with  red  garnets,  va- 
rying in  size  from  that  of  a  garden  pea  to  that  of  a  walnut. 
We  could  with  difficulty  determine  the  nature  of  the  forma- 


H^' 


■%-. 


^ 


or    A   NORTH-WEST   PASSAGE. 


43 


tion  of  the  coast,  the  surface  of  the  ground  being  almost  en- 
tirely covered,  either  with  snow,  luxuriant  rein-deer  moss,  or 
debris  from  the  neighbouring  hills.  In  one  place,  however, 
we  observed  a  small  part  of  the  rock  in  situ,  and  could  with 
certainty  determine  it  to  be  of  gneiss  formation.  Feldspar, 
in  large  plates,  thickly  set  with  garnets,  composed  the  greater 
part  of  the  rock:  these  plates  were  separated  by  thin  layers  of 
quartz  and  mica,  closely  blended  together,  the  strata  dipping 
in  a  northerly  direction,  at  an  angle  of  thirty  degrees.  We 
found  on  the  beach  several  nodules  of  clay-ironstone,  but 
could  not  observe  from  whence  they  were  detached." 

The  vegetation  was  scanty,  but  a  few  plants  were  added 
to  our  collection  by  the  gentlemen  who  accompanied  me. 
Our  party  was  successful  in  killing  three  rein-deer  out  of  a 
small  herd,  the  only  one  seen;  these  gave  us  one  hundred  and 
ninety-two  pounds  of  venison,  exclusive  of  the  heads,  hearts, 
&c.,  which,  as  usual,  became  the  perquisites  of  the  successful 
sportsmen.  The  latitude  observed  at  our  landing-place,  which 
was  on  the  eastern  side  of  a  bay,  three-quarters  of  a  mile  wide, 
and  close  to  Cape  Warrender,  was  74°  28'  16",  the  longitude 
by  chronometers,  81°  51'  12"  9,*  and  the  variation  of  the 
magnetic  needle,  104°  48'  30"  westerly. 

A  narrow  stream  of  water  ran  down  the  centre  of  the  bay, 
communicating  with  a  small  lagoon,  just  within  the  beach;  and 
on  the  steep  side  of  a  hill  at  the  back  of  a  considerable  space 
of  level  ground,  fronting  the  bay,  was  an  immense  mass  of 
snow  and  ice,  containing  strata  of  muddy-looking  soil,  the  Ai- 
diments,  perhaps,  of  some  huge  iceberg,  which,  ages  hence, 
may  here  be  tumbling  into  the  ocean. 

On  the  morning  of  the  12th  we  were  once  more  favoured 
with  a  breeze  from  the  eastward,  but  so  light  and  unsteady, 
that  our  progress  was  vexatiously  slow;  and  on  the  13th,  when 

•  This  latitude  will  be  tbuml  to  agree  exactly,  and  tlie  longitude  within 
one  mile  of  Uie  position  assigned  to  Ciipe  Warrender  in  our  clurt  of  1819, 
and  obtained  by  the  intersection  of  astronomical  bearings  taken  at  a  consi- 
derable distanoe  from  the  coast. 


1 

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44 


THIRD  VOYAGE   FOR   THE  DISCOVERY 


within  seven  leagues  of  Cape  York,  we  had  the  mortification 
to  perceive  the  sea  a-head  of  us  covered  with  young  ice,  the 
thermometer  having,  for  two  days  past,  ranged  only  from 
18°  to  20°.  On  reaching  it  we  had,  as  usual,  recourse  to 
"  sallying,"  breaking  it  with  boats  a-head,  and  various  other 
expedients,  all  alike  ineffectual  without  a  fresh  and  free 
breeze  furnishing  a  constant  impetus;  so  that  after  seven  or 
eight  hours  of  unsuccessful  labour  in  this  way,  we  were 
obliged  to  remain  as  we  were,  fairly  and  immoveably  beset. 

It  now  appeared  high  time  to  determine  as  to  the  propriety 
of  still  continuing  our  efforts  to  push  to  the  westward,  or  of 
returning  to  England,  according  to  my  instructions  on  that 
head,  under  particular  circumstances.  As  the  crossing  of 
the  ice  in  Baffin's  Bay  had  of  itself  unexpectedly  occupied 
nearly  the  whole  of  one  season,  it  could  not,  of  course,  be 
considered  that  the  attempt  to  penetrate  to  the  westward,  in 
the  manner  directed  by  their  Lordships,  had  as  yet  been 
made,  nor  could  it,  indeed,  be  made  during  the  present  year. 
I  could  not,  therefore,  have  a  moment's  hesitation  as  to  the 
propriety  of  pushing  on  as  far  as  the  present  season  would 
permit,  and  then  giving  a  fair  trial,  during  the  whole  of  the 
next  summer,  to  the  route  I  was  directed  by  my  instructions 
to  pursue.  In  order,  however,  to  confirm  my  own  opinion 
on  this  subject,  I  requested  to  be  furnished  with  that  of  Captain 
Hoppner;  and  finding  that  his  views  entirely  agreed  with  my 
own,  I  resolved  still  to  pursue  our  object  by  all  tlie  means  in 
oiJr  power.  ^: 

The  next  breeze  sprung  up  from  the  westward,  drawing 
also  from  the  southward,  at  times,  out  of  Prince  Regent's  In- 
let, and  for  three  days  we  were  struggling  with  the  young 
ice  to  little  or  no  purpose,  now  and  then  gaining  half  a  mile 
of  ground  to  windward  in  a  little  "  hole"  of  open  water,  then 
losing  as  much  by  the  necessity  of  bearing  up,  or  wearing, 
(for  the  ice  was  too  strong  to  allow  us  to  tack)  sallying  from 
morning  to  night  with  all  hands,  and  with  the  watch  at  night, 
two  boats  constantly  under  the  bows;  and  after  ail,  rather 


of 


% 


OF   A  NORTH-WEST   PASSAGE. 


45 


losing  ground  than  otherwise,  while  the  young  ice  was  every 
hour  increasing  in  thickness. 

*  On  the  17th,  when  we  had  driven  back  rather  to  the  east- 
ward of  Admiralty  Inlet,  an  easterly  breeze  again  enabled  us 
to  make  some  progi'ess.  The  sea  was  now,  for  the  most  part, 
covered  with  young  ice',  which  had  become  so  thick  as  to  look 
white  throughout  its  whole  extent.  The  holes  of  water  could 
now,  therefore,  be  more  distinctly  seen,  and  by  taking  ad- 
vantage of  these,  we  succeeded  in  making  a  few  miles  of 
westing,  the  "  leads"  taking  ijs  more  in-shore,  towards  Ad- 
miralty Inlet,  than  before.  Towards  sun-set  we  became  morn 
and  more  hampered,  and  were  eventually  beset  during  the 
night.  A  breeze  sprung  up  from  the  westward,  which  in- 
creasing to  a  fresh  gale,  we  found  ourselves  at  daylight,  far  to 
the  eastward,  and  also  within  two  miles  of  the  land,  near  a 
long  low  point,  which,  on  the  former  voyages,  had  not  been 
seen.  The  sea  was  covered  with  ice  between  us  and  the  shore, 
all  of  this  year's  formation,  but  now  of  considerable  thickness 
and  formidgble  appearance.  The  wind  continuing  strong,  the 
whole  body  was  constantly  pressed  in  upon  the  land,  bearing 
the  ships  along  with  it,  and  doubling  one  sheet  over  another, 
sometimes  to  a  hundred  thicknesses.  We  quickly  shoaled  the 
water  from  seventy  to  forty  fathoms,  the  latter  depth  occur- 
ring about  a  mile  from  the  beach;  and  after  this  we  drifted 
but  little,  the  ice  being  blocked  up  between  the  point  and  a 
high  perpendicular  berg  lying  a-ground  off  it. 

The  sails  being  furled,  and  the  top-gallant  yards  got  down, 
we  now  considered  ourselves  fortunate  in  our  situation;  for 
had  we  been  only  a  quarter  of  a  mile  further  out,  we  should 
have  been  within  the  influence  of  a  current  that  was  there 
sweeping  the  whole  body  of  ice  to  the  eastward,  at  the  rate 
of  a  mile  and  a  half  an  hour.  Indeed,  at  times,  this  current 
was  disposed  to  approach  us  still  nearer,  carrying  away  pieces 
of  ice  close  to  our  quarter;  but  by  means  of  long  hawsers, 
secured  to  the  heaviest  and  most  compact  of  the  small  floes 
in-shorc  of  us,  wc  contrived  to  hold  on.     Under  such  circum- 


(I 


ir; 


4fi 


THIRD    VOYAGK    i'OR   THE    DISCOVKRY 


.Stl 


stances,  it  evidently  became  expedient  to  endeavour,  by  saw- 
ing, to  get  the  ships  as  close  in-shore  as  possible,  so  as  to 
secure  them  either  to  grounded  ice,  or  by  anchoring  within 
the  shelter  of  a  bay  at  no  great  distance  inside  of  us;  for  it 
now  seemed  not  unlikely  that  winter  was  about  to  put  a  pre- 
mature stop  to  all  further  operation^  at  sea  for  this  season. 
At  all  events  it  was  necessary  to  consult  the  immediate  safety 
of  the  ships,  and  to  keep  them  from  being  drifted  back  to  the 
eastward.     I,  therefore,  gave  orders  for  endeavouring  to  get 
the  ships  in  towards  the  bay,,  by  cutting  through  what  level 
floes  still  remained      At  the  same  time  an  officer  was  de- 
spatched to  examine  the  shore,  which  was  found  safe,  with 
regular  soundings  in  every  part.     So  strong  had   been  the 
pressure  while  the  ice  was  forcing  in  upon  us,  that  after  libe- 
rating the  Hecla  on  one  side,  she  was  as  firmly  cemented  to  it 
on  the  other,  as  after  a  winter's  formation,  and  we  could  only 
clear  her  by  heavy  and  repeated  "sallying."     After  cutting 
in  two  or  three  hundred  yards,  while  the  people  were  at  din- 
ner on  the  21st,  our  canal  closed,  by  the  external  pressure 

s  coming  upon  the  parts  which  we  had  weakened,  and  in  a 
few  minutts  the  whole  was  once  more  in  motion,  or,  as  the 
seamen  not  inaptly  expressed  it,  "alive,"  mass  doubling  un- 

'  der  mass,  and  raising  those  which  were  uppermost  to  a  consi- 
derable height.  The  ice  thus  pressed  together  was  now  about 
ten  feet  in  thickness  in  some  places,  and,  on  an  average,  not 
less  than  four  or  five,  so  that  while  thus  forced  in  upon  a  ship, 
although  soft  in  itself,  it  caused  her  to  tremble  exceedingly;  a 
sensation,  indeed,  commonly  experienced  in  forcing  through 
young  ice  of  considerable  thickness.  We  were  now  once  more 
obliged  to  be  quiet  spectators  of  what  was  going  on  around  us, 
having,  with  extreme  difficulty,  succeeded  in  saving  most  of 
our  tools  that  were  lying  on  the  ice  when  the  squeezing  sud- 
denly began.  Towards  evening  we  made  fast  to  a  stationary 
floe,  a;,  the  distance  of  one  mile  from  the  beach,  in  eighteen 
fathoms,  where  we  remained  tolerably  quiet  for  the  night,  the 
ice  outiiide  of  us,  and  as  far  as  we  could  see,  setting  constantly, 


,-..i.;i.t:';...i„'    ;..  it-  ■ 


OF   A   NORTH-WEST   PASSAGE. 


47 


at  a  great  rate,  to  the  eastward.  Some  of  ou'-  gentlemen,  who 
had  landed  in  the  course  (.f  the  day,  and  who  had  to  scramble 
their  way  on  board  over  the  ice  in  motion,  describe  .  the  bay 
as  deeper  than  it  appeared  from  the  offing.  Dr.  Neill  "  found, 
on  such  parts  of  the  beach  a  were  not  covered  with  ice  or 
snow,  fragments  of  bituminous  shale,  flinty  slate,  and  iron- 
stone, interspersed  amongst  a  blue-coloured  limestone  gravel. 
As  far  as  he  was  able  to  travel  inland,  the  surface  was  com. 
posed  of  secondary  limestone,  partially  covered  with 'a  thin 
layer  of  calc-sinter.  From  the  scantiness  of  the  vegetation 
here,  the  limestone  seemed  likely  to  contain  a  large  propor- 
tion of  magnesia.  Dr.  Neill  was  about  to  examine  for  coal, 
which  the  formation  led  him  to  expect,  when  the  ice  was  ob- 
served to  be  in  motion,  obliging  him  hastily  to  return  on 
board."  Lieutenant  Ross  "  found,  about  two-thirds  up  a  small 
peaked  insulated  hill  of  limestone,  between  three  and  four 
hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  several  pieces  of  coal, 
which  he  found  to  burn  with  a  clear  bright  flame,  crackling 
much,  and  throwing  off  slaty  splinters." 

Hares'  burrows  were  numerous  on  this  hill ;  Lieutenant  Ross 
saw  two  of  these  animals,  one  of  which  he  killed.  A  fox  was 
also  observed,  in  its  summer  dress;  and  these)  with  a  pair  of 
ravens,  some  wingless  ducks,  and  several  snow-buntings,  were 
all  the  animals  noticed  at  this  place.  •*"       'y-    ' 

A  sudden  motion  of  the  ice,  on  the  morning  of  the  22nd, 
occasioned  by  a  change  of  wind  to  the  S.E.,  threatened  to 
carry  us  directly  off  the  land.  It  was  now,  more  than  ever, 
desirable  to  hold  on,  as  this  breeze  was  likely  to  clear  the  shore, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  to  give  us  a  run  to  the  westward.  Haw- 
sers, were,  therefore,  run  out  to  the  land-ice,  composed  of 
some  heavy  masses,  almost  on  the  beach.  With  the  Hecla 
this  succeeded,  but  the  Fury  being  much  further  from  the 
shore,  soon  began  to  move  out  with  the  whole  body  of  ice, 
which,  carrying  her  close  to  the  large  berg  off  the  point, 
swept  her  round  the  latter,  where,  after  great  exertion,  Cap- 
tain Hoppner  succeeded  in  getting  clear,  and  then  made  sail  to 


4 


*- 


<^ 


48 


THIRD   VOYAGE    FOR   THE    DISCOVERY 


'■  "'■■'Mt  »■ 


beat  back  to  us.  In  the  mean  time  the  strain  put  upon  the 
Hecla's  hawsers  being  too  great  for  them,  they  snapped,  one 
after  another,  and  a  bower-anchor  was  let  go,  as  a  last  resource. 
It  wis  one  of  Hawkins's,  with  the  double  fluke,  and  imme- 
diately brought  up,  not  merely  the  ship,  but  a  large  floe  of 
young  ice,  which  had  just  broken  our  stream-cable.  All  hands 
were  sent  upon  the  floe  to  cut  it  up  a-head,  and  the  whole  ope- 
ration was  a  novel,  and  at  times  a  fearful  one;  for  the  ice,  be- 
ing weakened  by  the  cutting,  would  suddenly  gather  fresh-way 
a-stern,  carrying  men  and  tools  with  it,  while  the  chain-cable 
continued  to  plough  through  it  in  a  manner  which  gave  one 
the  idea  of  something  alive,  and  continually  renewing  its  at- 
tacks. The  anchor  held  surprisingly,  and  after  this  tremen- 
dous sti'ain  had  been  put  upon  it  for  above  an  hour,  we  had 
fairly  cut  the  floe  in  two,  and  the  ship  was  riding  in  clear  wa- 
ter about  half  a  mile  from  the  shore. 

I  was  now  in  hopes  we  should  have  made  some  progress,  for 
a  large  channel  of  clear  water  was  left  open  in-shore;  a  breeze 
blew  off"  the  land,  and  the  temperature  of  the  atmosphere  had 
again  risen  considerably.  We  had  not  sailed  five  miles,  how- 
ever, when  a  westerly  wind  took  us  a-back,  and  a  most  dan- 
gerous swell  se*  directly  upon  the  shore,  obliging  me  imme- 
diately to  stand  off"  the  land;  and  the  Fury  being  still  to  the 
rastward  of  the  point,  I  ran  round  it,  in  order  to  rejoin  her  he- 
lore  sunset.  The  current  was  here  setting  very  fast  to  the 
eastward,  not  less,  I  think,  in  some  places,  than  two  miles  an 
hour,  so  that,  even  in  a  clear  sea,  we  had  little  chance  of  stem- 
ming it,  much  less  beset  as  we  were  in  young  ice  during  an 
unusually  dark  night  of  nine  or  ten  hours'  duration,  with  a 
heavy  fall  of  snow.  The  consequence  was,  that  when  we 
made  the  land  on  the  morning  of  the  23rd,  we  had  been 
drifted  the  incredible  distance  of  eight  or  nine  leagues  during 
tlie  night;  finding  ourselves  off"  the  Wollaston  Islands,  at  the 
entrance  of  Navy  Board  Inlet.  We  stood  in  under  the  islands 
to  look  for  anchorage  during  the  night,  but  the  water  being 
everywhere  too  deep  close  to  the  shore,  we  made   fast  at 


OF    A   NORTH-WEST   PASSAGE.     iJti)*K> 


'4»':' 


sunset  to  some  very  heavy  ice  upon  a  point,  which  we  took 
to  be  the  main-land,  but  which  Captain  Hoppner  afterwards 
found  to  be  upon  one  of  the  islands,  which  are  at  least  four  in    * 
number.  it-%ik-^ 

Here  we  found  the  current  still  setting  to  the  eastward,  and 
at  one  time  during  the  night  it  was  so  strong  against  a  fresh 
easterly  wind,  that  we  were  obliged  to  set  our  top-sails  a-back, 
to  keep  the  ships  clear  of  the  ice.  At  length,  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  24th,  before  daylight,  one  of  the  anchors  slippe^X 
out  by  the  sheering  of  the  ship,  and  the  other  hawser  imm6^> 
diately  breaking,  we  made  sail  off  the  land.  At  daylight,  the 
easterly  wind  having  freshened  to  a  gale,  and  dispersed  almost 
the  whole  of  the  young  ice,  I  made  the  Fury's  signal  to  join 
us  as  soon  as  she  had  saved  our  hawsers,  and  we  then  bore  up 
along  the  land  to  the  westward.  We  had  a  fine  run  during 
the  day,  but  towards  evening  met  with  a  great  deal  of  young 
ice  packed  together  by  the  breeze  now  blowing.  We  also  met 
herewith  some  "  old  ice,"  one  floe  of  which,  or  rather  field, 
was  immensely  heavy,  and  too  extensive  to  see  over.  About 
Cape  Craufurd  it  led  us  close  in  with  the  land,  which  is  all  so 
bold  in  this  neighbourhood  as  to  leave  nothing  to  fear  in  that 
respect,  and  after  running  till  eleven  at  night,  we  hove-to  for. 
daylight,  some  ice  being  seen  a-head.  The  wind  died  away  • 
at  midnight,  and  was  succeeded  soon  after  by  a  contrary  breeze 
the  thermometer  gradually  falling  from  28°  in  the  n^orning  to 
17°  at  night,  so  that  our  enemy,  the  young  ice,  onceihore  be- 
gan to  exert  its  influence.  Being  off  Eardley  Bay^  towards 
sunset,  and  observing  that  the  current  still  set  to  th^ieastward, 
I  went  in-shore  in  a  boat,  to  look  for  some  place  oPjIolerable 
security  in  which  the  ships  might  hold  on  during  the  nighty 
but  without  success.  We  were,  therefore,  under  the  necessity 
of  taking  our  chance  under-way,  if  the  latter  term  may  be 
applied  to  ships  that,  for  eight  hours,  did  not  move  ten  times 
their  own  length  through  the  young  ice.  I  was  glad  to  find  in 
the  morning,  however,  that  we  had  lost  little  or  no  ground,  by 


■v^. 


w  ■*:■ 


1  \ 


»   r 


(  ," 


50 


THIRD  VOYAGE   FOR  THE   DISCOVERY 


Ij 


I 


f  f ' 


which  it  appeared  that  the  current,  which,  on  the  evening  fae^ 
fore,  was  setting  to  the  eastward  in-shore,  at  the  rate  of  not 
less  than  a  knot  and  a  half,  did  not  extend  to  the  deeper  water 
in  the  offing.  On  the  26th  we  were  favoured  with  an  easterly 
breeze,  which,  gradually  freshening,  promised,  in  earnest,  to 
take  us  into  Prince  Regent's  Inlet.  We  sailed  through  many 
miles  of  tough  young  ice,  with  a  heavy  press  of  canvass,  keep- 
ing two  boats  a-head,  by  ropes  attached  to  the  bowsprit,  till 
it  was  dangerous  to  do  so  any  longer,  and  in  a  few  hours  found 
ourselves  within  the  inlet,  and  in  perfectly  clear  water  in-shore, 
the  breeze  having  driven  all  the  young  ice  off  the  land,  as 
well  as  a  body  of  old  floes,  which  just  left  us  room  to  sail 
within  it  The  wind  came  in  extremely  hard  gusts,  out  of 
every  ravine  and  valley,  with  which  this  coast  abounds,  oblig- 
ing us  to  lower  our  small  sails  frequently;  and  soon  after  dark 
a  gale  came  on  so  suddenly  as  scarcely  to  give  us  time  for 
taking  in  our  canvass.  Having  reduced  to  the  maintop-sail 
and  storm-sails,  and  the  sea  not  being  heavy,  in  consequence 
of  the  wind  being  well  off  the  land,  we  passed  the  night  with- 
out accident,  though  in  constant  anxiety,  from  the  expectation 
of  meeting  with  the  main  body  of  ice  under  our  lee.  The 
weather  was,  in  truth,  most  inclement,  being  extremely  dark, 
and  small  snow  being  drifted  off  the  hills  in  such  continued 
clouds  as  to  make  it  impossible  to  look  to  windward,  and 
rendering  both  the  atmosphere  and  the  sea  extremely  thick. 
After  midnight  the  wind  began  to  moderate,  and  by  de- 
grees also  drew  more  to  the  southward  than  before.  At  day- 
light, therefore,  we  found  ourselves  seven  or  eight  miles  from 
the  land;  but  no  ice  was  in  sight,  except  the  <<  sludge,"  of 
honey-like  consistence,  witli  which  almost  the  whole  sea  was 
covered.  A  strong  blink,  extending  along  the  eastern  horizon, 
pointed  out  the  position  of  the  main  body  of  ice,  which  was 
farther  distant  from  the  eastern  shore  of  the  inlet  than  I  ever 
saw  it  Being  assisted  by  a  fine  working  breeze,  which,  at 
the  same  time,  prevented  the  formation  of  any  more  ice  to 


4i 


ff 


->  --.«'<.••- 


OV  A  NORTH-WEST  PASSAGE. 


«l 


obstruct  as,  we  made  considerable  progress  along  the  land,  and 
at  noon  were  nearly  a-breast  of  Jackson  Inlet,  which  we  now 
saw  to  be  considerably  larger  than  our  distant  view  of  it  on 
the  former  voyage  had  led  us  to  suppose.  We  found  also 
that  what  at  a  distance  appeared  an  island  in  the  entrance, 
was,  in  reality,  a  dark-looking  rocky  hill,  on  the  south  side. 
A  few  more  tacks  brought  us  to  the  entrance  of  Port  Bowen, 
which,  for  two  or  three  days  past,  I  had  determined  to  make 
our  wintering-place,  if,  as  there  was  but  little  reason  to  ex- 
pect, we  ahould  be  so  fortunate  as  to  push  the  ships  thus  far. 
My  reasons  for  coming  to  this  determination,  in  which  Cap- 
tain Hoppner's  opinion  also  served  to  confirm  me,  will  be 
sufficiently  gathered  from  the  operations  of  the  preceding  fort- 
night, which  convinced  me  that  the  precarious  chance  of 
making  a  few  miles  more  progress  could  no  longer  be  su£fered 
to  weigh  against  the  evident  risk  now  attending  further  at- 
tempts at  navigation:  a  risk  not  confined  to  the  mere  expo- 
sure of  the  ships  to  imminent  danger,  or  the  hazard  of  being 
shut  out  of  a  winter-harbour,  but  to  one  which,  I  may  be  per- 
mitted to  say,  we  all  dreaded  as  much  as  these, — the  too  ob- 
vious probability  of  our  once  more  being  driven  back  to  the 
eastward,  should  we  again  become  hampered  in  the  young 
ice.  Joining  to  this  the  additional  consideration  that  no  known 
place  of  security  existed  to  the  southward  on  this  coast,  I  had 
not  the  smallest  hesitation  in  availing  myself  of  the  present 
opportunity  to  get  the  ships  into  harbour.  Beating  up,  there- 
fore, to  Port  Bowen,  we  found  it  filled  with  "  old''  and 
«  hummocky"  ice,  attached  to  the  shores  on  both  sides,  as 
low  down  as  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  befow  Stoney 
Island.  Here  we  made  fast  in  sixty-two  fathoms'  water,  run- 
ning our  hawsers  far  in  upon  the  ice,  in  case  of  its  breaking 
off  at  the  margin. 

On  entering  Port  Bowen,  I  was  forcibly  struck  with  the 
circumstance  of  the  cliffs  on  the  south  side  of  the  harbour 
being,  in  many  places,  covered  with  a  layer  of  blue  transpa- 


'   '-h 


t  1 


♦' 


82 


TUIUD  VOYAG£   FOR   THE   DISCOV£Rir 


I 


'  rent-looking  ice,  occasioned  undoubtedly  by  the  snow  par- 
tially thawing  there,  and  then  being  arrested  by  the  frost,  and 
presenting  a  feature  very  indicative  of  the  late  cold  summer. 
The  same  thing  was  observed  on  all  the  land  to  which  we 
made  a  near  approach  on  the  south  side  of  Barrow's  Strait  this 
season,  especially  about  Cape  York  and  Eardley  Bay;  but  as 
we  had  never  been  close  to  these  parts  of  the  shore  in  1819, 
it  did  not  occur  to  me  as  any  thing  new,  or  wortliy  of  notice. 
At  Port  Bowen,  however,  which,  in  that  year,  was  closely 
examined,  I  am  quite  certain  that  no  such  thing  was  to  be 
seen,  even  in  the  month  of  August,  the  cliflfs  being  then  quite 
clear  of  snow,  except  here  and  there  a  patch  of  drift  f* 

Though  it  was  evident  that  we  could  not  possibly  get  the 
ships  round  Stoney  Island,  into  the  proper  anchorage  (neither 
indeed  was  it  desirable,  on  account  of  our  prospects  of  an 

*  early  release  in  the  spring),  yet  it  was  expedient  to  remove 
them  immediately  from  the  sea-margin  of  the  ice,  by  cutting 
a  canal  into  the  floe  as  far  as  was  necessafy  for  their  security; 
a  work  that  was  accordingly  commenced  on  the  following  day. 
The  labour  proved  extremely  heavy  for  the  men,  the  floe 
being  thick  and  full  of  large  hummocks;  but  considerable  pro- 
gress had  been  made  on  the  morning  of  the  29th,  when  a  gale 
came  on  from  the  eastward,  which  for  six  or  seven  hours 
blew  in  gusts,  and  with  a  violence  I  never  remember  to  have 
seen  exceeded,  occasioned  probably  by  the  high  lands  between 
which  we  were  lying.  Masses  of  ice  constantly  breaking  ofi' 
from  the  edge  of  the  floe,  kept  us  in  continual  apprehension 
of  our  hawsers  being  snapped  by  the  additional  birain  thus  oc- 
casionly  brought  upon  them,  in  which  case  we  should  have 
been  driven  to  sea,  and  probably  into  the  old  ice,  which  hud 
been  in  sight  all  day  off  the  harbour.  Happily,  however,  we 
held  on,  and  were  enabled  to  resume  our  work  the  following 
day,  the  canal  already  cut  being  now  scarcely  perceptible, 
from  the  washing  away  of  the  ice  composing  its  cides.  On 
the  evening  of  the  1st  of  October,  we  had  accomplished 


% 


OF   A   NORTH-WEST   PASSAGE. 


m 


it' 


enough  for  our  purpose,  and  the  ships  were  warped  into  their 
^^  winter-stations,  which  we  had  the  satisfaction  to  think  were 

<  extremely  favourable  for  an  early  release  in  the  spring. 

,      We  lay  here  in  fifty-three  fathoms  water,  over  a  bottom  of 

,  very  soft  mud.     The  sea,  soon  after,  being  covered  on  the 

.    outside  with  a  floe  of  young  ice,  which  was  not  again  removed 

for  the  winter,  we  suffered  no  further  disturbance;  but  the 

.  easterly  winds  were  occasionally  so  violent  for  several  days 
after  this,  that  I  did  not  consider  the  ships  sufficiently  secure 
for  commencing  the  winter  arrangements,  until  the  bower- 

.  cables  were  carried  out  from  each,  and  taken  round  large 
hummocks  of  ice,  as  far  up  the  harbour  as  possible.     After 

,  these  precautions  had  been  taken,  we  were  finally  settled 
about  the  middle  of  October. 

Late  as  we  had  this  year  been  in  reaching  Sir  James  Lan- 
caster's  Sound,  there  would  still  have  been  time  for  a  ship 
engaged  in  the  whale-fishery  to  have  reaped  a  tolerable  har- 
vest, as  we  met  with  a  number  of  whales  in  every  part  of  it. 
and  even  as  far  as  the  entrance  of  Port  Bowen.  The  number 
registered  altogether  in  our  journals  is  between  twenty  and 
thirty,  but  I  have  no  doubt  that  many  more  than  these  were 

.  seen,  and  that  a  ship  expressly  on  the  look-out  for  them  would 
have  Uiund  full  occupation  for  her  boats.  Several  which 
came  near  us  were  of  large  and  « payable"  dimensions.     I 

J,  confess,  however,  that  had  I  been  witkin  the  Sound,  in  a 
whaler,  towards  the  close  of  so  unfavourable  a  season  as  this, 
with  the  young  ice  forming  so  rapidly  on  the  whole  extent  of 

•   the  sea,  I  should  not  have  been  disposed  to  persevere  in  the 

.  fishery  under  circumstances  so  precarious,  and  to  a  ship  un- 
prepared for  a  winter  involving  such  evident  risk.     It  is  pro- 

.    bable,  however,  that  on  the  outside  the  formation  of  young 

ice  woul(^  have  been  much  retarded  by  the  swell;  and  I  am 

.  inclined  to  believe  that  a  season  so  unfavourable  as  this  will 

,    be  found  of  rare  occurrence. 

We  observed  a  great  many  narwhals  in  different  parts  of 
Barrow's  Ctrait,  and  a  few  walruses,  and  should  perhaps  have 


•» 


m 


t 

ii 


•*.  ^. .  It*.  • 


54 


THIBO   VOYAGE   FOB  THE  DISCOVEBf 


seen  many  more  of  both,  but  for  the  continual  presence  of 
the  young  ice< 

I  shall  close  this  season's  narrative  with  the  result  of  a  few 
experiments  made  at  dififerent  times  on  the  specific  gravity 
and  temperature  of  the  sea-water  at  various  depths  below  the 
surface. 


*, 


1824. 
DAT. 

TIME. 

WATER  BROUGHT  UP     ll    Temp,  of 

Fmnm 

Speeifie 

Temp,  when 

Sur. 
Ace 

Atmo 

REMARKS. 

depth  of 

Onvity. 

Bro't 
up. 

+° 
32 

wttei 

spherp. 

Fathom! 

+  ° 

+  ° 

Tune  24. 

8P.M 

48 

•          • 

•    • 

34 

32 

July  8. 

10.30AM 

109 

, 

•    • 

33 

37 

37.5 

Whole  depth  lis  ft. 

f 

Surface 

1.0039 
1.0204 
1.0190 

17 
67 
71 

- 

thorns. 

18. 

A.M.. 

10 
20 

1.0230 
1.0247 

75 
73 
66 

>  • 

31.5|31to33 

Clowlr  •amnmdcd 

30 

1.0261 

by  extensive  hodie* 
of  ice. 

100 

1.0257 

72 

215 

1.0267 

57 

215 

•          • 

•     • 

30 

30.5 

35 

Surface 
2 
10 

1.0018 
1.0191 
1.0256 

55 

59.5 

S! 

V                  • 

20 

1.0257 

61 

25. 

P.M.  J 

30 

50 

100 

200 

1.02G7 
1.0267 
1.0264 
1.0271 

59.5 
59.3 
55.5 
56 

>. 

32.5 

34.5 

Ditto. 

300 

1.0270 

58 

400 

1.0263 

59.5 

J 

Sept.  12. 

A.M.!: 

5 

300 

1.0255 
1.0275 

52 
52 

J  30 

28.5 

"{ 

Very  little  ice  in 
u%ht:  whole  depthof 

^ 

water  305  ftthoini. 

13. 

A.M. 

200 

1.0262 

61     28.5 

28.5 

20  J 
C 
r 

Whole  depth  310  ft. 
thomi. 

OitMlved  ttvm 

jroung  Mit'water  ie« 

18. 

•         •        • 

Surface 

1.0087 

50 

•      • 

'    • 

- 

kn  inch  thick,  con- 
tuniDf  ■  brown  ve- 
ruble   iubctucc. 

19. 

.     .    . 

.     . 

l.OOll' 

17 

•      • 

•    • 

18.5 

Filti  a  part  of  a 
tery,  diNolTcd    on 

Oct.  2. 

P.M. 

54 

•         • 

.  .  3 

9 

38 

board  fordhjikinf. 

\ 


•».?  *^.^j.->{  !■#..  -t  iAth  m^i^W  ^.  ,4  ..iiM 


OV  A  NOHTH-WEST  FASSA6B       «| , 


45 


■C  •;■    *■&»■ 


^-  CHAPTER  III. 

WINTER  ABBANOSMXNTS — IMPROVEMENTS  IN  WARMING  AND 
VENTILATING  THE  SHIPS^-MASQVERADES  ADOPTED  AS  AN 
,  AMUSEMENT  TO  THE  HEN — ESTABLISHMENT  OP  SCHOOLS — 
«.  MAGNETIC  AND  ASTBONOMICAL  OBSEBVATIONS — METEO- 
■^  ROLOOICAL  PHENOMENA. 


%  Our  present  winter-anrangements  so  closely  resembled,  in 
general,  those  before  adopted,  that  a  fresh  description  of  them 
here  would  prove  little  more  than  a  repetition  of  that  already- 
contained  in  the  narratives  of  our  former  voyages.  On  each 
succeeding  occasion,  however,  some  improvements  were  made 
which,  for  the  benefit  of  those  hereafter  engaged  in  similar 
enterprises,  it  may  be  proper  to  record.  For  all  those  whose 
lot  it  may  be  to  succeed  us,  sooner  or  later,  in  these  inhospi- 
table regions,  may  be  assured  that  it  is  only  by  rigid  and  un- 
remitted attention  to  these  and  numberless  other  '*  little 
things,"  that  they  can  hope  to  enjoy  the  good  state  of  health 
which,  under  the  divine  blessing,  it  has  always  been  our  hap* 
piness,  in  so  extraordinary  a  degree,  to  experience. 

In  the  description  I  shall  offer  of  the  appearances  of  nature, 
and  of  the  various  occurrences,  during  this  winter,  I  know 
not  how  I  can  do  better  than  pursue  a  method  similar  to  that 
heretofore  practised,  by  confining  myself  rather  to  the  point* 
ing  out  of  any  difference  observed  in  them  now  and  formerly, 
than  by  entering  on  a  fresh  description  of  the  actual  pheno- 
mena. To  those  who  read,  as  well  as  to  those  who  describe, 
the  account  of  a  winter  passed  in  these  regions  can  no  longer 
be  expected  to  afford  the  interest  of  novelty  it  once  possessed; 
more  especially  in  a  station  already  delineated  with  a  tolerable 
geographical  precision  on  our  maps,  and  thus,  as  it  were, 
brought  near  to  our  fire-sidei  at  home.     Independently,  in- 

■  / 


■1 

Ji 

56 


THIRD  VOYAGE   FOR  THE   DISCOVERT 


V' 


) 


deed,  of  this  circumstance,  it  is  hard  to  conceive  any  one  thing 
more  like  another  than  two  winters  passed  in  the  higher  lati- 
tudes of  the  Polar  regions,  except  when  variety  happens  to  be 
afforded  by  intercourse  with  some  other  branch  of  "  the 
whole  family  of  man."  Winter  after  winter,  nature  here 
assumes  an  aspect  so  much  alike,  that  cursory  observation  can 
scarcely  detect  a  single  feature  of  variety.  The  winter  of 
more  temperate  climates,  and  even  in  some  of  no  slight  seve- 
rity, is  occasionally  diversified  by  a  thaw,  which  at  onte  gives 
variety  and  comparative  cheerfulness  to  the  prospect  But 
here,  when  once  the  earth  is  covered,  all  is  dreary  monoto- 
nous whiteness — ^not  merely  for  days  or  weeks,  but  for  more' 
than  half  a  year  together.  Whichever  way  the  eye  is  turned, 
it  meets  a  picture  calculated  to  impress  ttpon  the  mind  an  idea 
of  inanimate  stillness,  of  that  motionless  torpor  with  which 
our  feelings  have  nothing  congenial;  of  anything,  in  short, 
but  life.  In  the  very  silence  there  is  a  deadness  with  which 
a  human  spectator  appears  out  of  keeping.  The  presence  of 
man  seems  an  intrusion  on  the  dreary  solitude  of  this  wintry 
desert,  which  even  its  native  animals  have  for  a  while 
forsaken. 

'  As  this  general  description  of  the  aspect  of  nature  would 
suit  alike  each  winter  we  have  passed  in  the  ice,  so  also,  with 
very  little  variation,  might  pur  limited  catalogue  of  occurren- 
ces and  adventures  serve  equally  for  any  one  of  those  seasons. 
Creatures  of  circumstance,  we  act  and  feel  as  we  did  before 
on  every  like  occasion,  and  as  others  will  probably  do  after  us 
in  the  same  situation.  Whatever  difference  time  or  events 
may  have  wrought  in  individual  feelings,  and  however  differ*, 
cnt  the  occupations  which  those  feelings  may  have  suggested, 
they  are  not  such  as,  without  impertinence,  can  be  intruded 
upon  others;  with  these  "the  stranger  intermeddleth  not. " 
I  am  persuaded,  therefore,  that  I  shall  be  excused  in  sparing 
the  dulness  of  another  winter's  diary,  and  confining  myself 
exclusively  to  those  facts  which  appear  to  possess  any  scien* 
lific  interest,  to  the  few  incidents  which  did  diversify  our 


Vj      or   A   NOKTH-WEST   PASSAGE. 


■m 


confinement,  and  to  such  remarks  as  may  contribute  to  the 
health  and  comfort  of  any  future  sojourners  in  these  dreary 
regions. 

It  may  well  be  supposed  that,  in  this  climate,  the  principal 
desideratum  which  art  is  called  upon  to  furnish  for  the  pro- 
motion of  health,  is  warmth,  as  well  in  the  external  air  as  in 
the  inhabited  apartments.  Exposure  to  a  cold  atmosphere, 
when  the  body  is  well  clothed^  produces  no  bad  effect  what> 
fever  'beyond  a  frost-bitten  cheek,  nose,  or  finger.  As  for  any 
injury  to  healthy  lungs  from  the  breathing  of  cold  air,  or  from 
sudden  changes  from  this  into  a  warm  atmosphere,  or  vice 
nersof  it  may  with  much  confidence  be  asserted  that,  with 
due  attention  to  external  clothing,  there  is  nothing  in  '^  "s  re- 
spect to  be  apprehended.  This  inference,  at  least,  would  ap- 
pear legitimate,  from  the  fact  that  our  crews,  consisting  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty  persons,  have  for  four  winters  been 
constantly  undergoing,  for  months  together,  a  change  of  from 
eighty  to  a  hundred  degrees  of  temperature,  in  the  s]>ace  of 
time  required  for  opening  two  doors,  (perhaps  less  than  half 
a  minute)  without  incurring  any  pulmonary  complaints  at  all. 
Nor  is  a  covering  for  the  mouth  at  all  necessary  under  these 
circumstances,  though  to  most  persons  very  conducive  to 
comfort;  for  some  individuals,  from  extreme  dislike  to  the  h 
condensation  and  freezing  of  the  breath  about  the  <<  comfort- 
er" generally  used  for  this  purpose,  have  never  worn  any 
such  defence  for  the  mouth;  and  this  without  the  slightest 
injurious  effect  or  uncomfortable  feeling  beyond  that  of  a  cold 
face,  which  becomes  comparatively  trifling  by  habit. 

In  speaking  of  the  external  clothing  sufiicient  for  health  in 
this  climate,  it  must  be  confessed  that,  in  severe  exposure, 
quite  a  load  of  woollen  clothes,  even  of  the  best  quality,  is  in- 
sufiicient  to  retain  a  comfortable  degree  of  warmth;  a  strong 
breeze  carrying  it  off  so  rapidly  that  the  sensation  is  that  of  ^ 
the  cold  piercing  through  the  body.  A  jacket  made  vgry 
long,  like  those  called  by  seamen  "pea-jackets,"  and  lined 
with  fur  throughout,  would  be  more  effectual  than  twice  the 


i 


.« 


58 


THIRD   VOYAGE   POK  THE   DISCOVERY 


'mk 


n 


weight  of  woollen  clothes,  and  is  indeed  almost  weather  proof. 
For  the  prevention  of  lumbago,  to  which  our  seamen  are  eiSpe- 
cially  liable,  from  their  well-known  habit  of  leaving  their  loins 
imperfectly  clothed,  every  man  should  be  strictly  obliged  to 
wear,  under  his  outer  clothes,  a  canvas  belt  a  foot  broad,  lined 
with  flannel,  and  having  straps  to  go  over  the  shoulder.* 

It  is  certain,  however,  that  no  precautions  in  clothing  are 
suflicient  to  maintain  health  during  a  polar  winter,  without  a 
due  degree  of  warmth  in  the  apartments  we  inhabit    Most 
persons  are  tpt  to  associate  with  the  idea  of  warmth,  some- 
thing like  the  comfort  derived  from  a  good  fire  on  a  winter's 
evening  at  home;  but  in  these  regions  the  case  is  inconceivably 
different:  here  it  is  not  simple  comfort,  but  health,  and  there- 
fore ultimately  life,  that  depends  upon  it.    The  want  of  a  con- 
stant supply  of  warmth  is  here  immediately  followed  by  a  con- 
densation of  all  the  moisture,  whether  from  the  breath,  victuals, 
or  other  sources,  into  abundant  drops  of  water,  very  rapidly 
forming  on  all  the  coldest  parts  of  the  deck.    A  still  lower 
temperature  modifies,  and  perhaps  improves  the  annoyance  by 
converting  it  into  ice,  which  again  an  occasional  increase  of 
warmth  dissolves  into  water.     Nor  is  this  the  amount  of  the 
evil,  though  it  is  the  only  visible  part  of  it;  for  not  only  is  a 
moist  atmosphere  thus  incessantly  kept  up,  but  it  is  rendered 
stagnant  also  by  the  want  of  that  ventilation  which  warmth 
alone  can  furnish.     With  an  apartment  in  this  state,  the  men's 
clothes  and  bedding  are  continually  in  a  moist'  and  unwhole- 
some condition,  generating  a  deleterious  air  which  there  is  no 
jirculation  to  carry  off;  and  whenever  these  circumstances 
combine  for  any  length  of  time  together,  so  surely  may  the 
scurvy,  to  say  nothinsr  of  other  diseases,  be  confidently  ex- 
pected to  exhibit  itself. 
With  a  strong  conviction  of  these  facts,  arising  from  the  ex- 

*       *  Most  Greenland  sailors  use  these ;  but  many  persons,  both  officers  and 
mtn,  have  an  absurd  prejudice  against  what  they  call  "  wearing  stays." 


OF    A    NORTH-WEST   l^ASSAOE. 


m 


are 


treme  anxiety  with  which  I  have  been  accustomed  to  watch 
every  minute  circumstance  connected  with  the  health  of  our 
people,  it  may  be  conceived  how  highly  I  must  appreciate  any 
means  that  can  be  devised  to  counteract  effects  so  pernicious. 
Such  means  have  been  completely  furnished  by  Mr.  Sylves- 
ter's warming  apparatus,  a  contrivance  of  which  I  scarcely 
know  how  to  express  my  admiration  in  adequate  terms.  The 
alteration  adopted  on  this  voyage  of  placing  this  stove  in  the 
very  bottom  of  the  hold,  produced  not  only  the  effect  naturally 
to  be  expected  from  it,  of  increasing  the  rapidity  of  the  cur- 
rent 6f  warm  air,  and  thus  carrying  it  to  all  the  officers'  ca- 
bins with  less  loss  of  heat  in  its  passage;  but  \^as  also  accom- 
panied by  an  advantage  scarcely  less  important,  which  had  not 
been  anticipated  This  was  the  perfect  and  uniform  warmth 
maintained  during  the  winter  in  both  the  cable-tiers,  which, 
when  cleared  of  all  the  stores,  §ave  us  another  habitable  deck, 
on  which  more  than  one-third  of  the  men's  hammocks  were 
birthed;  thus  affording  .to  the  ship's  companies,  during  seven 
or  eight  months  of  the  year,  the  indescribable  comfort  of  nearly 
twice  the  space  for  their  beds,  and  twice  the  volume  of  air  to 
breathe  in.  It  need  scarcely  be  added,  how  conducive  to 
wholesome  ventilation,  and  to  the  prevention  of  moisture  be- 
low, such  an  arrangeihent  proved;  suffice  it  to  say  that  we  have 
never  before  been  so  free  from  moisture,  and  that  I  cannot  but 
chiefly  attribute  to  this  apparatus  the  unprecedented  good  state 
of  health  we  enjoyed  during  this  winter. 

The  mean  daily  temperature  upon  the  Hecla's  lower-deck 
during  the  winter  is  given  in  the  meteorological  abstracts;  in  the 
tiers  it  was  generally  about  60°,  and  never  below  56°,  and  that 
of  my  cabin  (hitherto  much  the  coldrjst  part  of  the  ship)  was 
63°,  from  December  to  April  inclusive.  The  two  coldest  of 
the  officers'  cabins,  which  were  those  at  the  foot  of  the  after- 
ladder,  varied  between  50°  and  60°,  the  mean  being  about  56°, 
and  all  the  others  were  several  degrees  higher.  Mr.  Daniell's 
hygrometer  was  tried  on  several  occasions  in  different  parts  of 


60 


I'UIRD  VOYAGIS  VOR  TH£    DISCOVERY 


the  ship.     The  following  examples  will  show  how  great  a  de- 
gree of  dryness  was  maintained  below: —  i 


Dajr. 

h.  m. 
Jan.  9, 11 30a.m. 


Temp,  of  Temp,  of    . 

the  Part  of  the  Ship.  the       '"="'=''       Remarks. 

Ext.Air.  Apartment.   '*""'* 


-22<'  Middle  of  lower-deck-|-67.5    4.53.5  All  the  people 

had  been  on 
the  lower-deck 
for  an  hour  and 
a  half  previous- 
ly, but  were  oft" 
the  deck  at  the 
time. 


CL'aptain'i 
.  5, 11  30     — 20»  <  Gun-rooi 


Apr, 


— 11,  930p.m.-|-6<» 


s  cabin     .     .  -f  64    4-48^  A  few  people 

room.    .    .     .  4-64.2 -f  50  V.  below;  the  cop- 

^Middle  of  lower-deck -j-63.5  4-553  persboiling,an<i 

meat  taking  out. 

Ditto    .    .     4-66    4-55    The  ship's  com- 
^  pany  in  bed. 


i 


f*i 


I  must  add  to  these  remarks,  which  the  vital  importance 
of  the  subject  has  alone  induced  me  to  continue  to  such  a 
length,  that  no  means  for  the  production  of  internal  warmth 
will  prove  sufficient,  without  the  most  minute  attention  to 
the  stopping  of  every  crevice  communicating  with  the  exter- 
nal air.  There  should,  on  this  account,  be  no  openings  what- 
ever, but  those  for  the  stove-pipes  and  the  two  ladders;  the 
sides  and  upper-deck  should  be  lined  with  thick  cork,  the 
former  being  defended  also  externally  by  a  high  and  broad 
bank  of  snow,  and  the  latter  by  a  thick  covering  of  snow  and 
sand,  especially  over  the  closed  hatchways,  where  it  is  ex- 
tremely difficult  to  prevent  an  aocumulation  of  moisture  be- 
low. I  have  heard  a  doubt  expressed  whether,  with  all  these 
precautions,  there  is  not  a  risk  of  not  admitting  enough  fresh 
air  for  healthy  respiration,  and  to  afford  draught  to  the  fires. 
But  I  do  Rot  think  there  is  any  reason  for  this  apprehension; 
enough,  and,  without  great  care,  more  than  enough,  for  these 
purposes  will  always  gain  admission  by  the  frequent  opening 
of  the  doors;  for  it  .should  be  remembered  that  the  more 


OF   A  MOBTH-WEST   PASSAGE. 


ei 


warmth  is  produced  below,  the  more  forcibly  will  the  cold 
air  from  above  find  its  way  in  to  supply  the  place  of  that 
which  is  rarefied.  A  constant  struggle  is  thus  going  on 
between  the  two;  and  that  wholesome  ventilation,  whereby 
a  warm  and  dry  atmosphere  can  alone  be  maintained  in  a 
crowded  apartment  in  any  climate,  and  in  most  temperate 
ones  is  best  promoted  by  a  free  admission  of  atmospheric  air, 
is  here  most  effectually  ensured  by  due  care  not  to  let  the  cold 
preponderate.  It  was  found  a  great  improvement,  during 
the  winter,  to  turn  the  fore-ladder  "fore  and  aft,"  so  that 
whatever  cold  air  came  down  in  opening  the  doors,  immedi- 
ately passed  towards  the  galley-fire,  by  this  means  prevent- 
ing, for  the  first  time,  any  condensation  of  vapour  at  the  foot 
of  the  ladder.  We  also  derived  great  advantage  from  lead- 
ing the  pipe  of  Sylvester's  stove,  and  that  in  the  sick-bay, 
into  the  galley-funnel,  thus  getting  rid  of  all  but  one  chim- 
ney, which  being  a  large  one,  was  quite  sufficient  for  ven- 
tilation. 

The  ventilation  which  goes  on  upon  a  chip's  lower-deck, 
especially  when  assisted  by  the  excellent  means  above  alluded 
to,  exhibits  itself  curiously  in  cold  weather,  by  the  quantity 
of  vapour  which  is  always  visibly  ascending  through  the  gal- 
ley-funnel, like  a  dense  column  of  smoke,  and  which  is  most 
dense  at  night,  when  everybody  is  below,  and  there  is  no 
fire  in  the  range;  because  the  vapour  is  then  most  abundant 
and  most  rapidly  condensed  in  its  ascent  Another  curious 
phenomenon  generally  takes  place  in  the  day-time,  when  the 
fires  are  clear,  and  very  little  besides  aqueous  vapour  is  es- 
caping. The  smoke  (for  such  it  appears  to  be)  is  divided 
into  two  separate  streams,  one  at  each  side  of  the  cylin- 
der as  you  look  at  it,  while  in  the  centre  nothing  is  percep- 
tible. *  JW**! 

The  explanation  suggested  by  Dr.  Neill  is  quite  satisfacto- 
ry. The  cold  iron  condenses  the  vapour  in  immediaite  con- 
tact with  it  into  a  visible  form,  while  that  in  the  centre  is  held 
insolation  by  the  warm  air  at  a  distance  from  the  metal;  anct 


':«■       • 


f 


4 


S2 


THIRD  VOYAGE   FOR  THE   DISCOVBHY 


:ii1 


«s  the  spectator  always  looks  through  several  strata  of  this 
condensed  vapour  at  the  sides,  and  only  through  one  in  the 
middle,  the  effect  becomes  that  above  described. 

One  very  healthy  comfort  which  I  had  long  wished  to  esta- 
blish for  the  ship's  company,  but  could  never  till  now  venture 
to  attempt,  was  that  of  providingthe  conveniences  for  a  certain 
number  of  men  daily  to  wash  themselves  from  head  to  foot  in 
tubs  of  hot  water,  throughout  the  winter.  For  this  purpose, 
a  portion  of  one  of  the  tiers  was  skreened  off  every  morning, 
and  the  practice  was  continued  during  our  whole  stay  in  win- 
ter-quarters, without  the  slightest  annoyance  from  moisture; 
so  capable  was  the  atmosphere  below  of  holding  this  addition- 
al vapour  in  solution. 

Every  attention  was,  as  usual,  paid  to  the  occupation  and 
diversion  of  the  men's  minds,  as  well  as  to  the  regularity  of 
their  bodily  exercise.  Our  former  amusements  being  almost 
worn  threadbare,  it  required  some  ingenuity  to  devise  any 
plan  that  should  possess  the  charm  of  novelty  to  recommend 
it  This  purpose  was  completely  answered,  however,  by  a 
proposal  of  Captain  Hoppner,  to  attempt  a  masquerade,  in 
which  officers  and  men  should  .dike  take  a  part,  but  which, 
without  imposing  any  restraint  whatever,  would  leave  every 
one  to  their  own  choice,  whether  to  join  in  this  diversion  or 
iiot.  It  is  impossible  that  any  idea  could  have  proved  more 
happy,  or  more  exactly  suited  to  our  situation.  Admirably- 
dressed  characters  of  various  descriptions  readily  took  their 
parts,  and  many  of  these  were  supported  with  a  degree  of 
spirit  and  genuine  humour  which  would  not  have  disgraced  a 
a  more  refined  assembly;  while  the  latter  might  not  have  dis- 
dained, and  would  not  have  been  disgraced  by,  copying  the 
good  order,  decorum,  and  inoffensive  cheerfulness  which  our 
humble  masquerades  presented.  It  does  especial  credit  to  the 
dispositions  and  good  sense  of  our  men,  that,  though  all  the  offi- 
cers entered  fully  into  the  spirit  of  these  amusements,  which 
took  place  once  a  month,  alternately  on  board  each  ship,,  no 
instance  occurred  of  any  thing  that  could  interfere  with  the 


4 


^  fmB«r»*|*»HTjfHfc»»  .s:  ^ir 


^ 


>&     OP   A   NOBTH-WTiSf  PASSAGE. 


•3 


regular  discipline,  or  at  all  weaken  the  respect  of  the  men  tO' 
wards  their  superiors.  Ours  were  masquerades  without  li- 
i;entiousnes8 — carnivals  without  excess.  •  Wi-^^' 

;     But  an  occupation  not  less  assiduously  pursued,  and  of  infi- 
nitely more  eventual  benefit,  was  furnished  by  the  re-establish- 
ment of  our  schools,  under  the  voluntary  superintendence  of 
my  friend  Mr.  Hooper  in  the  Hecla,  and  of  Mr.  Mogg  in  the 
Fury.     By  the  judicious  zeal  of  Mr.  Hooper,  the  Hecla's 
school  was  made  subservient  not  merely  to  the  improvement 
of  the  men  in  reading  and  writing  (ill  which,  however,  their 
progress  was  surprisingly  great),  but  also  to  the  cultivation  of 
that  religious  feeling  which  sr  essentially  improves  the  charac- 
ter of  a  seaman,  by  furnishing  the  highest  motives  for  increased  . 
attention  to  every  other  duty.     Nor  was  the  benciit  confined 
to  the  eighteen  or  twenty  individuals  whose  want  of  scholar- 
ship brought  them  to  the  school-table,  but  ex! ended  itself  to 
the  rest  of  the  ship's  company,   making;  thf;  whole  lower- 
deck  such  a  scene  of  quiet  rational  occupaticn  as  I  Df'ver  be- 
fore witnessed  on  board  a  ship.     And  I  do  not  speai   lightly' 
when  I  express  my  thorough  persuasion,  that  to  tl:<.  i  loral  ef- 
fects thus  produced  upon  the  minds  of  the  rner>  were  owinp 
in  a  very  high  degree,  the  constant  yet  sober  ci  cerfulness,  the 
uninterrupted  good  order,  and  even,  in  some  measure,  the  ex- 
traordinary state  of  health  which  prevaileJ  among  us  during 
this  wmter.  .n  ^'    -^  •'^'-v-    ■•^%w^ 

Immediately  after  the  ships  were  finally  secured,  we  erected 
the  observatory  on  shore,  and  commenced  uar  arrangements 
for  the  various  observations  to  which  our  attention  was  to  be 
,  directed  during  the  winter.  The  interest  of  these,  especially 
of  such  as  related  to  magnetism,  increased  so  much  as  we  pro- 
ceeded, that  the  neighbourhood  of  the  observatory  assumed, 
ere  long,  almost  the  appearanc.  of  a  scattered  village,  the  num- 
ber of  detached  houses  having  v  ious  needles  set  up  in  them, 
soon  amounting  to  seven  or  eight.  The  details  of  tliese  obser- 
vations being  given  in  the  proper  tables,  it  is  only  my  inten- 
tion to  oficr  here  a  brie*"  >LCCount  of  the  subjects  on  which  wc 


# 


94  THIRD  VOYAGE   VOa  THE   DISCOVERY 

were  principally  engaged,  together  with  the  general  conclu- 
sions at  which  the  expieriments  enabled  us  satisfactorily  to 
arrive. 

•  The  first  observations  on  the  variation  ofthe  magnetic  needle, 
on  our  arrival  at  Port  Bowen,  discovered  to  us  the  interesting 
fact  of  an  increase  in  that  phenomenon,  since  our  former  visit 
in  1819,  amounting  to  about  nine  degrees,  namely,  from  one 
hundred  and  fourteen  to  one  hundred  and  twenty-three  degrees. 
By  employing  delicately  suspended^  instead  of  supported 
needles,  we  also  fountf  a  diurnal  variation  to  an  amount,  and 
having  a  regularity,  of  which  we  had  before  no  idea.  The 
maximum  variation  westerly  was  observed  to  occur  between 
the  hours  of  ten,  a.  m.,  and  one,  p  m.  ;  and  the  minimum  be- 
tween eight,  p.  M.,  and  two,  a.  m.;*  tiie  quantity  being  seldom 
less  than  H°  to  2°,  and  sometimes  amounting  to  five,  six,  and 
even  to  seven  degrees. 

In  connexion  with  these  observations  we  subsequently  in- 
stituted a  regular  series  of  hourly  experiments  on  the  magnetic 
'  intensity,  with  a  suspended  needle  of  a  peculiar  construction, 
which  admitted  of  the  intervals  of  vibration  being  observed 
with  minute  accuracy;  by  which  means  we  found  a  diurnal 
change  of  intensity,  subject,  indeed,  to  occasional  anomalies, 
but  in  the  mean  of  a  number  of  days  exhibiting  a  regular  in- 
crease of  intensity  from  the  morning  to  the  afternoon,  and  as 
regular  a  decrease  from  the  afternoon  to  the  morning.  It  also 
appeared  that  the  sun,  and,  as  we  had  reason  to  believe,  the 
relative  position  of  the  sun  and  moon,  with  reference  to  the 
magnetic  sphere,  had  a  considerable  influence  both  on  the  in- 
tensity and  diurnal  variation,  although  the  exact  laws  of  this 
influence  may  still  remain  to  be  discovered. 

While  unassisted  Nature  was  thus  developing,  on  a  large 
scale,  some  curious  facts  on  the  subject  of  magnetism.  Lieu- 

*  The  exact  time  of  diurnal  maximum  variation,  deduced  from  a  mean  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty  days,  or  about  four  months'  observations,  was  llh. 
49m.,  A.  «.    That  ofthe  minimum  variation  waa  lOh.  01m.,  p.  n. 


4     t 


OF   A   NORTH-WEST   PASSAGE. 


05 


tenant  Foster  was  besides  engaged  in  repeating  the  interesting 
and  important  experiments  of  Messrs.  Barlow  and  Christie 
(detailed  in  the  Philosoph.  Trans,  for  1823,  part  ii.)  upon  a 
needle  having  its  position  modified,  and  its  directive  power  re- 
duced, by  the  application  of  artificial  magnets.     A  very  curious  • 
and  remarkable  result  soon  repaid  his  labour,  namely,  that  the 
true  bearing  upon  which  a  needle  exhibits  its  nunimum  vari- 
ation (we  might,  perhaps,  venture  to  call  it  none),  is  the  same 
at  Port  Bowen  as  at  Woolwich,  or  about  S.  38°  E.,*  which 
would  almost  lead  to  a  conclusion  that  this  is  a  constant  line  all 
over  the  world.  A  similar  coincidence  seemed  to  obtain,  with 
respect  to  the  magnetic  bearing  of  the  line  of  maximum  varia- 
tion, which  here  appeared  to  be  about  N.  66°  E.,  agreeing 
very  nearly  with  that  determined  in  England  by  Mr.  Barlow. 
We  did  not  succeed  in  obtaining,  during  the  winter,  any 
satisfactory  results  directly  tending  to  establish  the  fact  of  a 
regular  diurnal  variation  in  the  dip,  either  with  a  dipping- 
needle  having  its  magnetic  intensity  weakened  by  the  influ- 
ence of  artificial  magnets,  or  otherwise;  although,  from  the 
ever-varying  changes  of  intensity  by  which  a  horizontal  needle 
is  solicited,  it  would  appear  that  correspondent  alterations  in 
the  dip  must  necessarily  be  going  on. 

-  I  have  purposely  deferred  to  this  place  the  few  remarks  I 
shall  o£fer,  in  my  journal,  respecting  Mr.  Barlow's  plate  for 
correcting  the  effect  of  local  attraction  on  board  a  ship.  Pre- 
viously to  the  expedition  leaving  the  river  Thames,  and  when 
all  the  stores  had  been  received,  the  plate  on  board  the  Hecla 
was  fixed  by  experiment,  under  Mr.  Barlow's  personal  super- 
intend'^nce,  at  Northfleet,  in  such  a  manner  as  would  undoubt- 
edly have  afforded  a  correction,  if  not  quite  absolute,  at  least 
sufficiently  so  for  every  practical  purpose,  in  all  but  the  polar 
regions  of  the  eartli.  On  our  passage  up  Davis'  Strait,  how- 
ever, it  was  observed  that,  in  certain  positions  of  the  ship' s 
head,  of  course  principally  those  approaching  to  east  or  west, 


^\ 


•  Or  S.  85*  W.  «t  Poit  Bowen  (ma^etic).    See  Mr.  Harlow'*  Essay. 


66 


THIRD   VOYAGE   FOR   THE   DISCOVERY 


a  considerable  and  increasing  error  was  still  occasioned  by  tlie 
attraction  of  the  iron.     A  little  consideration  served  to  show 
that  this  might  a  priori  have  been  anticipated,  on  account  of 
the  extreme  minuteness  with  which,  under  a  directive  power 
•  very  greatly  diminished,  it  would  be  necessary  to  determine 
the  true  position  of  the  plate;  for  instance,  an  error  in  position 
not  at  all  to  be  detected  by  observation  at  NorSfleet  would,  in 
Davis'  Strait,  discover  itself  to  the  amount  perhaps  of  several 
degrees,  inasmuch  as  the  whole  phenomenon  is  there  exhibited 
on  a  larger  scale,  proportionate  to  the  decrease  of  directive 
energy.     During  our  stay  at  the  Whale-fish  Islands,  therefore, 
we  gladly  availed  ourselves  of  the  opportunity  to  obtain  the 
correct  position  of  the  plate.     In  doing  this,  we  followed  the 
simple  method  recommended  and  adopted  by  Mr.  Barlow, 
swinging  the  ship  round  successively  on  the  different  points, 
and  thus  obtaining  the  deviation  by  magnetic  back-bearings 
taken  simultaneously  on  the  land;  and  afterwards  finding,  by 
experiments  on  shore,  that  position  of  the  plate  which  correct- 
ly represented  the  same  amount  of  deviation.     The  plate  thus 
placed  was  now  to  undergo  a  severe  trial  on  the  ship's  arrival 
in  Barrow's  Strait,  and  Prince  Regent's  Inlet,  where,  from 
the  extraordinary  increase  of  dip,  and  the  consequently  aug- 
mented effect  of  the  ship's  iron  upon  the  magnetic  needle,  the 
compasses  had  before  been  rendered  wholly  useless  on  board 
ship.     Never  had  an  invention  a  more  complete  and  satisfac- 
tory triumph;  for,  to  the  last  moment  of  our  operations  at  sea, 
did  the  compass  indicate  the  true  magnetic  direction,  requiring, 
of  course,  at  times,  a  considerable  degree  of  tapping  with  the 
hand,  merely  to  relieve  the  needle  from  friction.     And  even 
at  Port  Bowen,  where  the  dip  is  eighty-eight  degrees,  and  the 
magnetic  intensity  acting  on  a  horizontal  needle  extremely 
weak  in  consequenrc,  the  azimuth  compass  on  board  actually 
gave  the  same  variation  as  that  observed  on  shore,  within  the 
fair  and  reasonable  limits  of  error  of  observation  under  such 
cirninistanccs.     Such  an  invention  as  this,  so  sound  in  prin- 
ciple, f»o  easy  of  application,  and  so  universally  beneficial  in 
practice,  needs  no  testimony  of  n»iiu'  fo  establish  its  merits. 


fPiihl 


'■^'^ 


OP    A    NORTH-WEST   PASSAGE. 


67 


but  when  I  consider  the  many  anxious  days  and  sleepless  nights 
which  the  uselessness  of  the  compass  in  these  seas  has  formerly 
occasioned  me,  I  really  should  esteem  it  a  kind  of  personal  in- 
gratitude to  Mr.  Barlow,  as  well  as  great  injustice  to  so  memo- 
rable a  tiscjvery,  not  to  have  stated  my  opinion  of  its  merits, 
under  circumstances  so  well  calculated  to  put  them  to  a  satis- 
factory trial.  *  Xl't"^' 

The  amount  of  atmospheric  refraction  at  low  temperatures 
was  the  subject  which,  next  to  magnetism,  appeared  the  most 
interesting  to  investigate.  The  extreme  difficulty  attending 
the  use  of  the  repeating-circle  during  intense  cold,  rendering 
it  next  to  impossible  to  obtain  with  that  instrument  observa- 
tions of  a  star  having  quick  motion,  with  the  minute  accuracy 
requisite  for  this  purpose,  we  were  led  to  adopt  the  simple 
method  of  observing  the  setting  of  a  star  behind  a  horizontal 
board  fixed  edgewise  on  a  neighbouring  hill,  the  altitude  of 
the  board  being  obtained  at  leisure,  by  repeated  observations 
with  the  circle.  The  numerical  details  of  these  observations 
being  given  in  the  proper  Tables,  I  shall  only  add  in  this  place, 
that  they  make  the  refraction  at  low  temperatures,  and  from 
the  altituae  of  44°  to  7J°,  as  computed  from  the  Table  in  the 
Nautical  Almanac,  considerably  in  defect. 

The  rest  of  our  time  was  chiefly  occupied  in  the  observations 
for  latitude  and  longitude,  the  former  by  Mr.  Bailey's  very 
useful  tables  and  formula  for  the  Pole  star;t  the  latter  by  the 
several  methods  of  occultations,  eclipses  of  Jupiter's  satellites, 
the  moon's  transit,  and  by  lunar  distances,  the  chrunometrical 
longitude  being  also  taken  into  account.  Lieutenant  Foster 
also  omitted  no  opportunity  of  observing  the  transits  of  the 
several  small  stars  give:i  in  the  "  Astronomische  Nachrichten," 
for  comparison  with  the  moon  in  right  ascension,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  obtaining  the  absolute  longitude. 

0 
•  On  repeating  the  experiments  at  Nortliflcct,  on  the  return  of  the  Hecia 
to  £n(fland,  the  plate  was  found  to  remain  equally  efAcacious. 
jvPublifbcd  in  the  Philtuphical  Mugazine,  Juue,  1822. 


jgti^ 


<)S 


THIUD  VOYAGE   FOR  THK   DISCOVERY 


A  six-pounder  gun  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  bay,  a  dis* 
lance  of  nearly  thirteen  thousand  feet,  or  about  two  nautical 
miles,  in  order  to  ascertain  the  rate  at  which  sound  travels  at 
different  temperatures  and  pressures  of  the  atmosphere.  Our 
observations  appear  to  indicate  a  decided  decrease  of  velocity 
with  an  increased  density  of  the  atmosphere;  the  rate  of 
travelling  decreasing  from  one  thousand  and  ninety-eight  feet 
per  second,  at  a  pressure  of  30.118  in.  and  temperature 
+  33.5°,  to  one  thousand  and  fourteen  feet  per  second  at  a  pres- 
sure of  30.398,  and  temperature  — '38.5;  all  other  circum- 
stances being  alike. 

The  extreme  facility  with  v;hich  sounds  are  heard  at  a 
considerable  distance,  in  severely  cold  weather,  has  often  been 
a  subject  of  remark;  but  a  Circumstance  occurred  at  Port 
Bowen,  which  deserves  to  be  noticed  as  affording  a  sort  of 
measure  of  this  facility,  or  at  least  conveying  to  others  some 
definite  idea  of  the  fact.  Lieutenant  Foster  having  occasion 
to  send  a  man  from  the  observatory  to  the  opposite  shore  of 
the  harbour,  a  measured  distance  of  6696  feet,  or  about  one 
statute  mile  and  two-tenths,  in  order  to  fix  a  meridian  mark, 
had  placed  a  second  person  half-way  between,  to  repeat  his 
directions;  but  he  found  on  trial  that  this  precaution  was  un- 
necessary, as  he  could  without  difRculty  keep  up  a  conversa- 
tion with  the  man  at  the  distant  station.  The  thermometer 
was  at  this  time  — 18°,  the  barometer  30.14  inches,  and  thf 
weather  nearly  calm,  and  quite  clear  and  serene. 

The  meteorological  phenomena  observed  during  this  winter, 
like  most  of  its  other  occurrences,  differed  so  little  in  charac- 
ter from  those  noticed  on  the  former  voyages,  as  to  render  n 
separate  description  of  each  wholly  unnecessary.  It  will, 
therefore,  be  sufficient  for  me  to  give  one  general  and  concise 
account  of  the  whole,  conhning  myself  to  such  facts  as  were 
cither  new  to  us,  or  appear  in  other  respects  to  merit  a  distinct 
notice. 

The  Aurora  Borealis,  which  constitutes  one  of  the  peculiar 
features  of  a  polar  winter,  occuned  with  nearly  the  same  ffe- 


few 


^ 


OF   A   NORTH-WEST    PASSAGE. 


69 


fjuency  as  on  former  occasions.     The  number  of  nights  on 
which  it  is  registered,  are— ^ 


Two 

in  October, 

Five 

„  November, 

Seven 

„  December, 

Fifteen 

„  January, 

Thirteen 

„  February, 

Five 

„  March, 

.CT'K 


being  in  the  whole  forty-seven,  from  October  to  March.  It 
may  have  appeared  faintly  on  a  few  other  occasions,  not  no- 
ticed in  our  journals,  and  unquestionably  would  have  been  seen 
more  frequently,  but  for  the  height  of  the  land  on  the  south 
side  of  Port  Bowen,  which  intercepted  our  view  to  the  alti- 
tude of  live  or  six  degrees.  By  far  the  greater  part  of  these 
phenomena  assumed  one  general  character,  and  occupied  nearly 
the  same  position.  It  usually  consisted  of  an  arch,  sometimes 
tolerably  continuous,  but  more  frequently  broken  into  detached 
irregular  masses  or  nebulae  of  light,  extending  from  about 
West  to  S.E.  (true),  which  bearings  correspond  with  N.E.b.  N., 
and  W.b.S.  (magnetic.)  It  sometimes,  however,  extended  a 
few  points  beyond  those  bearings,  but  very  rarely  occupied 
any  of  the  northern  part  of  the  heavens.  Its  termination  to 
the  S.E.  was  never  exactly  visible,  owing  to  the  height  of  the 
land  in  that  quarter;  but,  upon  the  whole,  the  arch  seems 
to  have  been  more  frequently  bisected  by  the  plane  of  the 
magnetic,  than  by  that  of  the  true,  meridian.  The  altitude 
of  the  upper  margin  of  a  permanent  arch  seldom  exceeded 
ten  or  fifteen  degrees,  and  from  this  corruscations  were  gene- 
rally observed  to  be  shooting  towards  the  zenith.  In  a  few 
instances  the  arch  itself  passed  as  high  as  the  zenith,  and  on  a 
single  occasion,  on  the  28th  of  January,  its  direction  was 
from  true  north  to  south.  The  lower  edge  of  the  arch  was 
generally  well  defined  and  unbroken,  and  thp  sky  beneath  it 
appeared  by  contrast  so  exactly  like  u  dark  cloud  (to  me  often 
of  a  brownish  colour,)  that  nothing  at  the  time  of  viewing  i' 


n-. 


f 

M 

il 

\ 

11 

T 

1 

«,'( 

'J 

:li 

/o 


THIRD    VOYAGE    FOH   THE    DISCOVER Jf 


'■4.1 


.  I 


r  J 


could  well  convince  one  to  the  contrary,  if  the  stars  shining 
there  with  undiminished  lustre  did  not  discover  the  decep- 
tion. 

This  winter  certainly  afforded  but  few  brilliant  displays  of 
the  Aurora.  The  following  notice  includes  all  that  appear  to 
me  to  require  a  separate  description. 

Late  on  the  night  of  the  31st  of  December,  the  phenome- 
non appeared  partially,  and  with  a  variable  light,  in  different 
parts  of  the  soutliern  sky,  for  several  hours.     At  seven  on  the 
following  morning,  it  became  more  brilliant  and  stationary, 
describing  a  well-defined  arch,  extending  from  the  E.S.E.  ho- 
rizon to  that  at  W.N.W.,  and  passing  through  the  zenith.    A 
very  faint  arch  was  also  visible  on  each  side  of  this,  appearing 
to  diverge  from  the  same  points  in  the  horizon*,  and  separating 
to  twenty  degrees'  distance  in  the  zenith.     It  remained  thus 
for  twenty  minutes,  when  the  corruscations  from  each  arch 
met,  and  after  a  short  but  brilliant  display  of  light  gradually 
died  away.     Early  on  the  morning  of  the  fifteenth  of  Janu- 
ary, the  Aurora  broke  out  to  the  southward,  and  continued 
variable  for  three  hours,   between  a  N.W.  and  S.E.  bearing. 
From  three  to  four  o'clock,  the  whole  horizon  from  south  to 
west  was  brilliantly  illuminated,  the  light  being  continuous 
almost  throughout  the  whole  extent,  and  reaching  several  de- 
grees in  height.     Very  bright  vertical  rays  were  constantly 
shooting  upwards  from  the  general  mass.     At  half-past  five, 
it  again  became  so  brilliant,  as  to  attract  particular  notice, 
describing  two  arches  passing  in  an  east  and  west  direction, 
very  near  the  zenith,  with  bright  corruscations  issuing  from  it; 
but  the  whole  gradually  disappeared  with  the  returning  dawn. 
At  dusk  the  same  evening,  the  Aurora  again  appeared  in  the 
southern  quarter,  and  continued  visible  nearly  the  whole  night, 
but  without  any  remarkable  feature. 


J- 


*  I  am  aware  that  this  appearance  is  usually  referred  to  the  effect  of 
viewing  the  phenomenon  in  perspective  ;  but  I  here  describe  appearancet 


OF    A   NORTH-WEST    PASSAGE. 


71 


"  About  midnight  on  the  27th  of  January,  this  ^)henomenon 
broke  out  in  a  single  compact  mass  of  brilliant  yellow  light, 
situated  about  a  S.  E.  bearing,  and  appearing  only  a  short  dis- 
tance above  the  land.  This  mass  of  light,  notwithstanding  its 
general  continuity,  sometimes  appeared  to  be  evidently  com- 
posed of  numerous  pencils  of  rays,  compressed,  as  it  were, 
laterally  into  one,  its  limits  both  to  the  right  and  left  being 
well  defined  and  nearly  vertical.  The  light,  though  verj- 
bright  at  all  times,  varied  almost  constantly  in  intensity,  and 
this  had  the  appearance  (not  an  uncommon  one  in  the  Aurora) 
of  being  produced  by  one  volume  of  light  overlaying  another, 
just  as  we  see  the  darkness  and  density  of  smoke  increased  by 
cloud  rolling  over  cloud.  While  I^ieutenants  Sherer  and  Ross, 
and  myself,  were  admiring  the  extreme  beauty  of  this  pheno- 
menon from  the  observatory,  we  all  simultaneously  uttered 
an  exclamation  of  surprise  at  seeing  a  bright  ray  of  the  Au- 
rora shoot  suddenly  downward  from  the  general  mass  of  light, 
and  between  us  and  the  land,  which  was  there  distant  only 
three  thousand  yards.  Had  I  witnessed  this  phenomenon  by 
myself,  I  should  have  been  disposed  to  receive  with  caution 
the  evidence  even  of  my  own  senses,  as  to  this  last  fact;  but 
the  appearance  conveying  precisely  the  same  idea  to  three  in- 
dividuals at  once,  all  intently  engaged  in  looking  towards  the 
spot,  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  ray  of  light  actually  passed 
within  that  distance  of  us. 

About  one  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  23rd  of  February., 
the  Aurora  again  appeared  over  the  hills  in  a  south  direction, 
presenting  a  brilliant  mass  of  light,  very  similar  to  that, 
just  described.  The  rolling  motion  of  the  light  laterally  was 
here  also  very  striking,  as  well  as  the  increase  of  its  intensity 
thus  occasioned.  The  light  occupied  horizontally  about  a 
point  of  the  compass,  and  extended  in  height  scarcely  a  degree 
above  the  land,  which  seemed,  however,  to  conceal  from  us  a 
part  of  the  phenomenon.  It  was  always  evident  enough  that 
the  most  attenuated  light  of  the  Aurora  sensibly  dimmed  the 


m 


I 


* 


73 


THIRD   VOYAGE   FOR   THE   OISCDVERIT 


'4 


m 


% 


■? '. 


stars,  like  a  thin  veil  drawn  over  them.  We  frequently  listened 
for  any  sound  proceeding  from  this  phenomenon,  but  never 
heard  any. ' 

On  several  occasions  which  seemed  the  most  favourable  for 
the  purpose,  the  electrometer  with  gold-leaf  was  applied  to 
the  chain,  but  without  the  slightest  perceptible  effect  The 
chain  was  attached  to  the  sky-sail  mast-head  by  glass  rods, 
precisely  in  the  manner  described  on  our  last  voyage,  the 
pointed  end  of  the  upper  link  being  considerably  above  the 
mast-head,  and  one  hundred  and  fifteen  feet  from  the  level  of 
the  sea.  That  the  atmosphere  during  the  wmter-months  was 
favourable  to  the  excitement  of  electricity,  appeared  from  the 
facility  with  which  a  small  electrical  machine,  constructed  by 
Mr.  Rowland,  was  found  to  act.  The  sparks  given  out  by 
this  machine,  of  which  the  cylinder  was  only  six  inches  long, 
and  five  in  diameter.  Dr.  Neill  considered  as  large  as  are 
usually  elicited  from  apparatus  of  much  larger  dimensions  in 
England.  Our  variation-needles,  which  were  extremely  light, 
suspended  in  the  most  delicate  manner,  and  from  the  weak  di- 
rective energy  susceptible  of  being  acted  upon  by  a  very 
slight  disturbing  force,  were  never  in  a  single  instance  sensi- 
bly affected  by  the  Aurora,  which  could  scarcely  fail  to  have 
been  observed  at  some  time  or  other,  had  any  such  disturbance 
taken  place,  the  needles  being  visited  every  hour  for  several 
months,  and  oftener,  when  any  thing  occurred  to  make  it  de- 
sirable. 

The  meteors  called  Falling-stars  were  much  more  frequent 
during  this  winter  than  we  ever  before  saw  them,  and  particu- 
larly during  the  month  of  December.  On  the  8th,  at  a  quarter 
past  seven  in  the  evening,  a  particularly  large  and  brilliant 
meteor  of  this  kind  fell  in  the  S.S.W.,  the  weather  being 
very  fine  and  clear  overhead,  but  hazy  near  the  horizon.  On 
the  following  day,  between  four  and  five  p.m.,  another  very 
brilliant  one  was  observed  in  the  north,  falling  from  an  altitude 
of  about  thirty -five  degrees  till  lost  behind  the  land;  the 
weatfier  was  at  this  time  clear  and  serene,  and  no  remarkable 


.^.  v- 


%m.    OP    A   NOETH-WEST    PASSAOi:.  m' r 


m 


change  took  place.  On  the  12th)  no  less  than  five  meteors  of 
this  kind  w0re  observed  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  as  these 
were  attended  with  some  remarkable  circumstances,  I  shall 
here  give  the  account  furnished  me  by  Mr.  Ross,  who  with 
Mr.  Bell  (^bserved  these  phenomena.  "  From  7  to  9  p.m. 
the  wind  tluddenly  increased  from  a  moderate  breeze  to  a 
strong  gale  from  the  southward.  At  ten  it  began  to  moderate 
a  little;  the  haze  which  had  for  several  hours  obscured  every 
star,  gradually  sinking  towards  the  horizon,  and  by  eleven 
o'clock  the  whole  atmosphere  was  extremely  clear  above  the 
altitude  of  five  or  six  degrees.  The  thermometer  also  iell 
from  — 5°  to  — 9°  as  the  haze  cleared  away.  At  a  quarter 
past  eleven  my  attention  was  directed  by  Mr.  Bell  to  some 
meteors  which  he  observed,  and  in  less  than  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  five  were  seen.  The  two  first,  noticed  only  by  Mr. 
Bell,  fell  in  quick  succession,  probably  not  more  than  two 
minutes  part.  The  third  appeared  about  eight  minutes  after 
these,  and  exceeded  in  brilliancy  any  of  the  surrounding 
stars.  It  took  a  direction  from  near  0  Tauri,  and  passing 
slowly  towards  the  Pleiades  left  behind  it  sparks  like  the  tail 
of  a  rocket,  these  being  visible  for  a  few  seconds  after  the  me- 
teor appeared  to  break,  which  it  did  close  to  the  Pleiades. 
The  fourth  meteor  made  its  appearance  very  near  the  same 
place  as  the  last,  and  about  five  minutes  after  it.  Taking  the 
course  of  those  seen  by  Mr.  Bell,  it  passed  to  the  eastward, 
and  disappeared  half  way  between  fi  Tauri  and  Gemini.  The 
fifth  of  these  meteors  was  seen  to  the  eastward,  passing  through 
a  space  of  about  five  degrees  from  north  to  south  parallel  to 
the  horizon,  and  moving  along  the  upper  part  of  the  cloud  of 
haze  which  still  extended  to  the  altitude  of  five  or  six  degrees. 
It  was  more  dim  than  the  rest,  and  of  a  red  colour  like  Alde- 
baran.  The  third  of  these  meteors  was  the  only  one  that  left 
a  tail  behind  it,  as  above  described.  There  was  a  faint  ap- 
pearance of  the  Aurora  to  the  westward  near  the  horizon. " 

On  the  14th  of  Docembe:*  several  very  bright  meteors  were 
observed  to  fall  between  the  hours  of  five  and  six  in  the  even- 

10 


^ 


* 


'*. 


it 


£-*^_'-'^  • 


.;;^>,-a»»t» 


h. 


74 


THIRD  VOYAGE   VOR   TH.^  DISCOVERY 


ing,  at  which  time  the  wind  fre^ihened  from  the  N.W.  by  N, 
in  a  very  remarkable  manner.  On  this  occasion,  as  well  as 
on  the  12th  of  December,  there  appeared  to  be  an  evident 
coincidence  between  the  occurrence  of  the  meteors  and  the 
changes  of  the  weather  at  the  time. 

On  the  7th  of  January^  the  weather  being  clear  and  cold, 
the  moon  was  curiously  distorted  by  refraction,  for  several 
minutes  before  setting,  into  the  shapes,  and  according  to  the 
order,  shewn  in  the  annexed  sketch  by  Mr.  Head. 


-.?+W:'' 


f? 


-no't'^-' 


■M 


OF    A    NOBTH-WEST   PASSAGE. 


75 


Haloes  appeared  very  frequently  round  the  moon,  particu- 
larly about  the  times  of  her  opposition,  and  when  there  was 
any  haze  in  the  atmosphere.  Two  or  three  times  an  indis- 
tinct paraselena  was  seen  on  each  side,  situated,  as  usual,  upon 
the  halo,  and  at  the  angular  distance  of  about  twenty-three 
degrees  from  the  moon.  In  one  instance  only,  the  paraselens 
were  slightly  coloured  with  a  faint  red  tint  In  the  autumn 
and  spring,  particularly  the  latter,  haloes  and  parhelia  were 
very  frequently  about  the  sun,  the  measurement  of  their  an- 
gular distance  from  that  luminary  being  always  between 
twenty-two  and  twenty-three  degrees.  None  of  these  phe- 
nomena were  such  as  to  deserve  further  notice,  except  one  on 
the  29th  of  March,  when  at  9.30,  a.m.,  an  imperfect  halo  ap- 
peared around  the  sun,  with  a  faint  parhelion  on  each  side. 
On  the  part  of  the  halo  directly  over  the  sun,  was  seen  a  seg- 
ment of  an  inverted  circle,  faintly  coloured;  and  again  above 
this,  at  the  distance  of  46°  40"  from  the  sun,  was  a  short  seg- 
ment of  another  inverted  circle,  coloured  like  a  brilliant  rain- 
bow. A  circle  of  broad  but  faint  white  light  could  be  traced 
completely  round  the  heavens,  passing  through  the  sun  and 
parhelia,  and  parallel  to  the  horizon;  and  situated  on  this  cir- 
cle, at  the  distance  of  114i°  on  each  side  of  the  sun,  was  a 
large  white  spot.  The .  phenomenon  exhibited  a  part  of  that 
described  at  Melville  Island,  on  the  19th  of  April,  1820,  the 
circles  now  seen,  besides  the  halo,  corresponding  with  those 
marked  x  d  v,  m/uj  and  /  t/,  in  the  diagram  accompanying 
that  description.*  Minute  particles  of  snow  were  at  this  time 
falling  in  great  abundance. 

fit:  Particular  attention  was  paid  to  the  changes  in  the  barome- 
ter during  this  winter,  to  which  much  encouragement  was 
given  by  the  excellence  of  the  instruments  with  which  we 
were  now  furnishedt.     The  times  of  register  at  sea  had  been 

•  Narrative  of  the  Voyage  of  1819—20. 

\  For  this  circumstance  we  are  indebted  to  the  kindness  and  well-known 
scientific  zeal  of  Mr.  Daniel),  who  himself  superintended  the  construction 
of  our  barometers,  and  especially  of  one  excellent  instrument,  by  Newman. 


4 


(>  ' 


i^ 


n 


THIRD   VOYAGE    FOR   THE   D18C0VKRY 


I 


three  and  nine,  a.m., and  p.m.;  those  hours  having  been  re- 
commended as  the  most  proper  for  ;  «t  .  :u  *  f-iij'  horary  oscil- 
lations of  the  mercurial  column.  Whr  ?  ?  "'ere  fixed  for  the 
winter,  and  our  attention  could  be  mow  rjxclusively  devoted 
to  scientific  objects,  the  register  was  extended  to  f  ur  and  ten, 
and  subsequently  to  five  and  eleven  o'clock.  The  most  rigid  at- 
tention to  the  observation  and  correction  of  the  column,  during 
several  months,  discovered  an  oscillation,  amounting  only  to 
ten  thousandth-parts  of  an  inch.  The  times  of  the  maximum 
and  minimum  altitude  appear,  however,  decidedly  to  lean  to 
four  and  ten  o'clock,  and  to  follow  a  law  directly  the  reverse, 
as  to  time,  of  that  found  to  obtain  in  temperate  climates,  the 
column  being  highest  at  four,  and  lowest  at  ten  o'clock, 
both  A.M.  and  p.m.  The  whole  of  the  observations  being 
Comprised  in  the  Meteorological  Abstracts,  with  the  general 
results  stated  at  the  bottom  of  each,  can  be  consulted  with 
great  convenience;  and  the  Table  which  follows  the  Abstract 
for  the  month  of  April  1826,  will  afford  one  comprehensive 
view  of  six  month's  observations  "on  this  interesting  subject. 

The  barometer  did  not  appear  to  indicate  beforehand  the 
changes  of  the  weather  with  any  degree  of  certainty.  Indeed 
the  remark  that  we  had  always  before  made,  that  alterations 
in  the  mercurial  column  more  frequeintly  accompany  than  pre- 
cede the  visible  changes  of  weather  in  these  regions,  was* 
equally  true  of  our  present  experience;  but  on  one  or  two  oc- 
casions hard  gales  of  considerable  duration  occurred  without 
the  barometer  falling  at  all  below  the  mean  altitude  of  the  co- 
lumn in  these  regions,  or  even  rose  steadily  during  the  con- 
tinuance of  the  gale.  During  one  week  of  almost  constant 
blowing  weather,  and  two  days  of  very  violent  gales  from 
the  eastward,  in  tlie  month  of  April,  the  barometer  remained 
considerably  above  thirty  inches  the  whole  time.  It  is  ne- 
cessary for  me  here  to  remark,  that  the  unusual  proportion  of 

to  be  used  as  a  standard  with  which  the  others  could  be  compared.    We 
owe  a  similar  obligatipu  to  Mr.  Daniell,  with  respect  to  thermometers.  , 


or  A  NORTH-WEST   PASSAGE.  :>>) 


^ 


^ 


easterly  winds  registered  in  our  journals  during  this  winter 
must,  in  my  opinion,  be  attributed  to  the  local  situation  of 
our  winter-quarters,  which  alone  appears  to  me  sufficient  to 
account  for  the  anomaly.  The  lands  on  each  side  of  Port 
Bowen,  running  nearly  east  and  west,  and  rising  to  a  height 
of  six  to  nine  hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  with  deep  and  broad 
ravines  intersecting  the  country  in  almost  every  direction, 
may  be  supposed  to  have  had  considerable  influence  on  the 
direction  of  the  wind.  In  confirmation  of  this  supposition,  in- 
deed, it  was  usually  noticed  that  the  easterly  winds  were  with 
us  attended  with  clear  weather,  while  the  contrary  obtained 
with  almost  every  breeze  from  the  west  and  north-west,  thus 
reversing  in  this  respect  also  the  usual  order  of  things.  It 
was  moreover  observed  that  the  clouds  were  frequently  co- 
ming from  the  N.W.,  when  the  wind  in  Port  Bowen  was 
easterly.  I  must,  however,  except  the  gales  we  experienced 
from  the  eastward,  which  were  probably  strong  enough  to 
overcome  any  local  deflection  to  which  a  light  breeze  would 
be  subject;  and  indeed  these  were  always  accompanied  with 
overcast  weather  and  a  high  thermometer.  After  the  middle 
of  October  the  gales  of  wind  were  very  few  till  towards  the 
middle  of  April,  when  we  experienced  more  blowing  weather 
than  during  the  whole  winter. 

The  mean  temperature  of  this  season  we  considered  rather 
high,  as  compared  with  that  of  our  former  winters,  in  propor- 
tion to  the  latitude  of  the  station,  as  will  appear  from  inspec- 
tion of  the  annexed  Table,  containing  a  comparative  view  of 
the  mean  temperature  during  six  winter  months  at  each 
station,  arranged  according  to  the  latitudes  of  the  respective 
places.  .  ,; 


r   ," 


11 


f 


t 


I 


]    .; 


li 


s 


V 


THIRD  VOYAGE   FOR  THE   DISCOVERY 


MONTHS. 

Mean  tempenture  ofthe  Atinotpbere  at 

Mfltille 

ItUnd, 

Ut.74|<' 

1819— 90. 

Fort 
Bowrn, 
Ut.  73to 
1824-J. 

iRtooUk. 
Ui.  Wi? 

1823-3. 

Winter 

Uu  M}o, 

18a  i-a 

REMARKS. 

October 

Not  ember 

December 

January 

February 

March 

0 

—6.46 
—23.6 
—24.79 
—33.09 
—35.19 
—21.10 

+10.85 
—5 

—19.05 
—28.91 

—27.32 
—28.37 

—16.30 

+  9.79 

-22.37 

—30.8 

—30.07 

—23.41 

—22.75 

+9.51 
+4.75 
—15.94 
—25.96 
—27.97 
—14.64 

The  tempemurei  contained  in 
thii    Table    for    Melville    Island, 
Iftoolifc.  and    Winter  Iiiand,  are 
tboie  ^ren  in  the  Narrative  of  the 
Voyage  of  1821-8— 3,  with  the  de- 
duction otS'  for  the  warm  atinof 
pi>era  of  ihe  thip.    Thii  correction, 
which  can  onljr  be  a  mean  approxi- 
malion  to  the  truth,  perhapt  iiiakri 
the  temperaturi'  of  Melville  liland 
rather  too  hicrh,  and  tbiit  of  Ifluo- 
lik  «oinf>wbat  luu  low. 

•  • 

Mean 

—24.04 

—18.27 

—11.71 

The  distribution  of  the  cold,  if  I  may  so  call  it,  wa."?  now 
also  somewhat  different,  the  coldest  month  being  .hnuary, 
next  March,  and  then  February.  The  difference,  however, 
in  the  mean  temperature  of  these  three  months  was  remark- 
ably small,  ranging  only  from  — 27°.  3,  to  — 28°.  9.  The 
thermometer  did  not  rise  above  zero  till  the  llth  of  April, 
having  remained  below  that  point  of  the  scale  for  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty -one  ruccessive  days,  the  only  instance  of  this 
kind  we  have  ever  known.  So  low  a  mean  temperature  for 
three  successive  months  would,  if  considered  separately,  have 
appeared  to  form  a  season  of  great  severity,  and  certainly, 
with  n'spect  to  personal  comfort,  did  so;  but  viewed  in  con- 
nexion with  the  three  preceding  months,  seems  only  to  fur- 
nish a  compensation  for  the  unusual  mildness  of  the  early  part 
<>r  fho  winter.  •  ''  •  . 


\ 


OP   A   NORTH-WEST   FASSAOR. 


4 


^■ 


CHAPTER  IV. 


iW 

y» 

k- 
hc 

il, 
n- 
lis 
or 
ve 


ir- 
rt 


METEOROLOGICAL  PHENOMENA  CONTINrED — RE-EQUIPMENT 
OF  THE  SHIPS — SEVERAL  JOURNIES  UNDERTAKEN — OPEN 
WATER  IN  THE  OFFING— COMMENCE  SAWING  A  CANAL  TO 
LIBERATE  THE  SHIPS — DISRUPTION  OF  THE  ICE — ^DEPAR- 
TURE   FROM   PORT   BO  WEN.  i.    v'  ,. 

The  height  of  the  land  about  Port  Bowen  deprived  us  long- 
er than  usual  of  the  sun's  presence  above  our  horizon.  Some  of 
our  gentlemen,  indeed,  who  ascended  a  high  hill  for  the  pur- 
pose, caught  a  glimpse  of  him  on  the  2nd  of  February;  on  the 
15th  it  became  visible  at  the  observatory,  but  at  the  ships  not 
till  the  22nd,  after  an  absence  of  one  hundred  and   twenty- 
one  days.     It  is  very  long  after  the  sun's  reappearance  in 
these  regions,  however,  that  the  effect  of  his   rays,  as  to 
warmth,   becomes  perceptible;  week  passes  after  week  with 
scarcely  any  rise  in  the  thermometer  except  for  an  hour  or  two 
during  the  day,  and  it  is  at  this  period  more  than  any  other, 
perhaps,  that  the  lengthened  duration  of  a  polar  winter's  cold 
is  most  wearisome,  and  creates  the  most  impatience.  Toward» 
the  third  week  in  March,  thin  flakes  of  snow  lyin^i;  upon  black 
painted  wood  or  metal,  and  exposed  to  the  sm/s  direct  niyn 
in  a  sheltered  situation,  .    tdily  melted.     In  the  second  week 
of  April  tmy  very   light  covering  of  sand  or  ashes  upon  the 
snow  close  to  the  ships  might  be  observed  tc  make  its  way 
downward  into  holes:  but  a  coat  of  sand  laid  upon  the  un- 
sheltered ice,  to  the  distance  of  about  two-thirds  of  a  mile;  for 
dissolving  a  canal  to  hasten  our  liberation,  produced  no  such 
iiensible  effect  till  the  beginning  of  May.     Even  then  the  dis- 
solution was  very  trifling  till  about  the  first  week  in  June. 
when  pools  of  water  began  to  make  their  appearance,  and  not 


* 


m 


iv 


JfH^  THIRD   VOYAGE    VOR   TUK    DISCOVERY 

long  after  this  a  small  boat  would  have  floated  down  it     On 
shore  the  eflect  is  in  general  still  more  tardy,  though  some 
deception  is  there  occasioned  by  the  dissolution  of  the  snow 
next  the  ground,  while  its  upper  surface  is  to  all  appearance 
undergoing  little  or  no  change.     Thus  a  greater  alteration  is 
sometimes  produced  in  the  aspect  of  the  land  by  a  single  warm 
day  in  an  advanced  part  of  the  season,  than  in  many  weeks 
preceding;  in  consequence  of  the  last  crust  of  snow  being  dis- 
'  solved,  leaving  the  ground  at  length  entirely  bare.    We  could 
now  perceive  the  snow  beginning  to  leave  the  stones  from 
day  to  day,  as  early  as  the  last  week  in  April.     Towards  the 
end  of  May  a  great  deal  of  snow  was  dissolved  daily,  but  owing 
to  the  porous  nature  of  the  ground  which  absorbed  it  as  fast  as 
it  was  formed,  it  was  not  easy  to  procure  water  for  drinking 
on  shore,  even  as  late  as  the  10th  of  June.     In  the  ravines, 
however,  it  could  be  heard  trickling  under  stones  before  tliat 
time,  and  about  the  18th  many  considerable  streams  were  form- 
ed, and  constantly  running  both  night  and  day.  After  this,  the 
thawing  proceeded  at  an  inconceivably  rapid  rate,  the  whole 
surface  of  the  floes  being  covered  with  large  pools  of  water 
rapidly  increasing  in  size  and  depth. 

We  observed  nothing  extraordinary  with  respect  to  the 
sun's  light  about  the  shortest  day;  but  as  early  as  the  20th  ol 
November  Arcturus  could  very  plainly  be  distinguished  by 
the  naked  eye,  when  near  the  south  meridian  ai  noon.  About 
the  first  week  in  April  the  reflection  of  light  from  the  snow 
became  so  strong  as  to  create  inflammation  in  the  eyes,  and 
notwithstanding  the  usual  precaution  of  wearing  black  crape 
veils  during  exposure,  several  cases  of  snow-blindness  occurred 
shortly  afterwards. 

During  this,  as  in  each  preceding  winter  passed  in  the  polar 
regions,  wc  failed  to  obtain,  even  in  the  severest  cold,  any 
absolute  hygrometrical  expi-cssiou  for  the  state  of  the  atmo- 
sphere, although  wo  had  now  the  advantage  of  being  furnishe*! 
with  the  excellent  hygrometers  on  Mr.  Daiiipll's  construction. 
By  the  experiments  given  in  the  Meteorological  Abstracts,  i» 


or  A   NORTH-WEST  PASSAGE. 


81 


apnears  that,  below  an  atmospheric  temperature  of  -f  6°,  we 
failed  in  obtaining  any  deposit  upon  the  bulb  of  the  instru- 
ment, though  on  some  occasions  the  ether  was  frozen  in  the 
attempt     Cn  several  days  during  the  winter,  a  haze,  or  more 
properly  a  fog,  occurred,  of  such  density  as  to  obscure  objects 
at  the  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  when  there  was  no  per- 
ceptible fall  or  drift  of  snow  to  have  occasioned  this  appear- 
ance.    It  always  happened,  indeed,  during  serene  weather, 
and  generally  consisted  only  of  a  stratum  reaching  one  or  two 
hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  over  which  we  could  see  from  the 
observatory,  while  it  seemed  to  occupy  the  whole  of  the  har- 
bour below.     That  the  atmosphere  was  extremely  dry,  how- 
ever, during  the  winter,  appears  probable  from  the  circum- 
stance noticed  on  the  former  voyages,  of  ropes  becoming  quite 
slack  by  an  increase,  or  rather  by  a  continuance  of  cold.    For 
instance,  a  worn  whale-line  sixteen  hundred  and  forty-four 
feet  in  length,  being  stretched  quite  tight  between  the  Hecla 
and  the  shore,  for  the  purpose  of  marking  the  road  in  dark 
weather  or  snow-drift,   relaxed  so  much  during  the  coldest 
months,  that  forty-nine  feet  were  hauled  in  from  time  to  time, 
lo  keep  it  in  its  place  upon  Ihe  snow-pillars  by  which  it  was 
supported.     I  have  already  noticed  the  readiness  with  which 
electricity  was  excited  by  a  very  small  machine,  a  facility 
which  the  medical  gentlemen  attributed  to  the  dryness  of  the 
atmosphere.     It  would  also  appear  that  something  like  evapo- 
ration is  going  on,  from  tlic  fact  ropoatedly  noticed  even  in 
the  most  severe  part  of  the  .season,  that  a  brass  instrument  en- 
tirely sheltered  from  the  wind  may  one  day   be  seen  covered 
with  numberless  minute  snow-crystids  .-idhering  lirmly  to  the 
metal,  and  the  next  jerfectly  clean  and  briglit,  without  any 
possible  assistant  from  wind,   or  artificial  heat.     The  same 
ihing  sometimes  occurs  also  with  the  thin  lilm  of  ice  which 
oollecls  upon  the  eye-glass  of  a  telescope,  occasioned  by  tln' 
vapour  of  the  body.     The  drying  of  our  washed  flollics  in 
the  open  air  could  be  j)erfornied  in  j>art,  lor  the  first  time, 
about  the  beginning  of  .Vpril,  by  hanging  them  aguinst  a  sliel* 

11 


:i  *' 


fl"  hi 


r.  I'.  • 


^1    ^.i 


I 


t^t 


M 


ill 


82 


..•♦ 


TniKD   VOYAGE   FOR  THK    DISCOVEUr 


tcrcd  snow-waU  facing  the  south,  and  having  a  black  painted 
canvas  cloth  suspended  along  it 

There  was  no  want  of  well-defined  clouds  this  winter; 
these  were  almost  entirely  of  the  kind  called  cirro-stratus,  or 
approaching  to  that  modification.     Cumuli  and  cirro-cumuli 
occurred  only  with  the  advance  of  spring.     The  sky  in  this 
respect  differed  from  that  of  our  winter  at  Melville  Island,  and 
also  from  those  at  Winter  Island  and  Igloolik,  clouds  occurring 
much  more  frequently  than  at  the  former,  and  more  rarely 
than  at  the  two  latter  stations.     This  difference  seems  to  have 
coincided  nearly  with  the  state  of  the  sea  in  the  oiling  at  each 
wintering-place,  clouds   occurring  with  more   frequency    in 
projiortioii  to  tlie  extent  of  open  water  in  our  neighbourhood. 
At  Port  Bowen  we  had  occasionally  lanes  of  clear  water  in 
the  offing  as  late  as  the  2and  of  January,  and  the  ice  could  hv 
heard  in  motion  till  the  11th  of  February,  but  the  water  was 
of  small  extent  after  the  first  month  subsequent  to  our  arrival 
in  winter-quarters.     The  occasional  occurrence  of  fog,  and 
the  ajjpearaiice  of  a  dark  water-sky  to  the  northward,   fi-e- 
quently  observed  from  the  hills  during  the  winter,  render  it 
extremely  proliable  that  Barrow's  Strait  was  never  entirely 
closed, — a  probability  confirmed  by  the  appearance  of  it  at 
all  times  of  the  year  in  which  it  is  accessible  by  ships. 

There  are  perhaps  few  things  more  difiicult  to  obtain  than  a 
comparative  measure  of  the  (piantily  of  snow  that  falls  at  dif- 
ferent places,  owinij;  to  the  facility  with  which  the  wind  blows 
it  oil  a  smooth  surlnci-,  such  as  a  floe  of  level  ice,  and  the  col- 
lection occasioned  by  dnft  in  consequence  of  the  smallest  ob- 
struction. '     Thus,  its  mean  depth  at  Port  Bowen,  measured 

•  If  even  a  fair  measure  of  the  tiepih  couKl  be  obtained,  it  would  not  im- 
mediately determine  tlic-  comparative  tjuauUty  ,-  for  a  cubic  foot  of  gnow  si> 
minute  as  that  which  fulls  in  high  latitudes,  and  in  the  compact  state  in 
which  it  tics  upon  the  ground,  would  probably  weigh  much  more,  and  pro- 
duce a  great  deal  more  water,  than  the  same  measure  in  a  less  severe  cli 
mate,  where  it  usually  falls  in  larger  ilakcf.    The  weight  of  a  cubic  foot 


.«\* 


4g 


OP   A   NORTH-WEST    PASSAGE. 


t^ 


in  twenty  different  placee  on  the  smooth  ice  of  the  harbour, 
was  three  inches  on  the  3th  of  April,  and  on  the  1st  of  May 
it  had  only  increased  to  four  and  a  half  inches,  while  an  im- 
mense bank  fourteen  feet  deep  had  formed  on  one  side  of  the 
Hecla,  occasioned  by  the  heavy  drifts.  The  crystals  were,  as 
usual,  extremely  minute  during  the  continuance  of  the  cold 
weather,  and  more  or  lt.is  of  these  were  always  falling,  even 
on  the  clearest  days.  .»,  " v^.  k  <«•  / />• 

Lieutenant  Ross  tried  the  thickness  of  the  salt-water  ice 
during  different  periods  of  the  winter,  by  digging  hoico  in 
that  formed  upon  the  canal  by  which  the  ships  had  entered, 
and  found  it  to  have  increased  in  the  following  ratio: — 


•••<  * 


Date. 


Whole  thicknen,     Thickneii 
in  iiichet.      altove  iUi-  lua, 


November  30th,  1824, 
December  13th,    — 


January 

February 

March 

Aprit 

May 


l8t,  1825, 
Slid,    — 
2nd,     — 
2nd,     — 
4th,      — 


30.5 
38.5 
46.3 
55.9 
73  . 
82.5 
86.5 


ill  ittches. 

.  3.8  , 

.  4.4  . 

.  5.2  , 

.  6  .  . 

.  7.1  , 

.  7.8 

.  8  .  . 


Proportion  of  that  nbovp 
to  that  biMow,  the  latlti- 
beiiif^-slOO. 

•  •  14.23    .    .      ,. 

.  .  12.90 

.  .  12.97 

.  .  l-,02 

.  .  10.77 

.  .  10.44 

.  .  10.19      .  . 


The  aniiuals  seen  at  Port  Bowen  may  now  be  briefly  no- 
ticed. The  principal  of  these  seen  during  the  winter  \ve»^- 
bears,  of  which  we  killed  twelve  from  October  to  June,  b»Mng 
more  than  duringall  the  other  voyages  taken  together;  and  seve- 
ral others  were  seen.  One  of  the^c  animals  was  near  proving 
fatal  to  a  aeaman  of  th«i  Fury,  who  having  straggled  from  his 
companions  when  at  ihc  top  of  a  high  hill,  saw  a  large  bear 
coming  towards  him.  Ht-ing  unarmed,  he  prudently  made 
off,  taking  off  his  boots  to  enable  him  lo  run  the  faster,  but 
not  80  prudently  precipitated  himself  o'v'cr  an  almost  perpen- 
dicular cliff,  down  which  he  was  said  to  have  rolled  or  fallen 

of  snow  at  I'oi".    >'iwen,  dug  out  of  a  drift,  and  weighed  by  Mr.  Rowland, 
wa»  thirty  povndc,  being  the  mean  of  scverjil  experiments,  all  agreeing  very 

•learly.  ,  ,   . 


tfJrft'-— _  ■ 


84 


THIRD  VOYAGE    FOR   THE   DISCOVERY 


M    '. 


several  hundred  feet;  here  he  was  met  by  some  of  the  people 
in  so  lacerated  a  condition,  as  to  be  in  a  very  dangerous  state 
for  some  time  after.  * 

A  she-bear  killed  in  the  open  water  on  our  first  arrival  at 
Port  Bowen,  afforded  a  striking  instance  of  maternal  affection 
in  her  anxiety  to  save  her  two  cubs.  She  might  herself  easily 
have  escaped  the  boat,  but  would  not  forsake  her  young,  which 
she  was  actually  "towing"  off,  by  allowing  them  to  rest  on 
her  back,  when  the  boat  came  near  them.  A  second  similar 
instance  occurred  in  the  spring,  when  two  cubs  having  got 
down  into  a  large  crack  in  the  ice,  their  mother  placed  herself 
before  them,  so  as  to  secure  them  from  the  attacks  of  ouv 
people,  which  she  might  easily  have  avoided  herself. 

This  unusual  supply  of  bear's  flesh  was  particularly  service- 
able, as  food  for  the  Esquimaux  dogs  we  had  brought  out,  and 
which  were  always  at  work  in  a  sledge;  especially  as,  during 
the  winter,  our  number  was  increased  by  the  birth  of  six  others 
of  these  useful  animals.  , 

One  or  two  foxes  ,'  Cants  Lagopiu)  were  killed,  and  four 
caught  in  trsjis  during  the  winter,  weighing  from  four  pounds 
and  threc-o':arters  to  three  pounds  and  three-quarters.  The 
colour  of  one  of  these  animals,  which  lived  for  some  time  on 
board  the  Fury  and  became  tolerably  tame,  was  nearly  pure 
white  till  the  month  of  May,  when  he  shed  his  winter-coat, 
and  became  of  a  dirty  chocolate  colour,  with  two  or  three 
light-brown  spots.  Only  three  hares  ( Lepus  Variabili/i ) 
wero  killed  from  October  to  June,  weighing  from  six  to  eight 
pounds  and  three-quarters.  Their  fur  was  extremely  thick, 
.soft,  and  of  the  most  beautiful  whiteness  imaginable.  Wc 
saw  no  deer  near  Port  Bowen  at  any  season,  neither  were  wo 
visited  by  their  en«mies  the  wolves.  A  single  ermine  and 
a  few  mice  (Mus  Hndsonius),  complete,  I  believe,  our 
scanty  listof  quadrupeds  at  this  desolate  and  tmproductivc  place 

*'  The  uien  applying  hia  name  to  the  hill,  called  it  Mount  Cottereli,  b) 
'vSich  it  is  distitiKu  MieO  in  the  chart,  for  the  sake  of  reference  iu  our  men 
surcment  of  its  hciglii. 


'\ 


^♦- 


,% 


OF  A   NORTH-WEST   PASSAOB. 


85 


Of  birds,  we  had  a  flock  or  two  of  ducks  occasionally  fly- 
ing about  the  small  lanes  of  open  water  in  the  offing,  as  late 
as  the  third  of  October:  but  none  from  that  time  till  the 
beginning  of  June,  and  then  only  a  single  pair  was  occasion- 
ally seen.  A  very  few  grouse  were  met  with  also  a'^r  our 
arrival  at  Port  Bowen;  a  single  specimen  was  obtained  on  the 
23rd  of  December,  and  another  on  the  18th  of  February. 
They  again  made  their  appearance  .towards  the  end  of  March, 
and  in  less  than  a  month  about  two  hundred  were  killed;  after 
which  we  scarcely  saw  another,  for  what  reason  we  could  not 
conjecture,  except  that  they  might  probably  be  on  their  way 
to  the  northward,  and  that  the  utter  barrenness  of  the  land 
about  Port  Bowen  aflbrded  no  inducement  for  their  remaining 
in  our  neighbourhood. 

Lieutenant  Ross,  who  paid  great  attention  to  ornithology, 
and  who  has  himself  drawn  up  the  zoological  notice  given  in 
the  Appendix,  remarked  that  the  grouse  met  witii  here  arc  of 
three  kinds,  namely  the  ptarmigan  (Tetrao  Lagopusjy  the 
rock-grouse  (Tetrao  BupestrisJ,  and  the  willow-partridge 
(Tetrao  Mbus).  Of  these  only  the  two  former  were  seen 
in  the  spring,  and  by  far  the  greater  number  killed  were  of 
the  first-mentioned  species.  They  usually  had  in  their  maws 
the  leaves  of  the  Dryas  Integrifoliuy  buds  of  tlie  Sewi/raga 
Oppositi/oliaf  Salix  Arcticqt  and  Draba  ^Ipina,  the  quanti- 
ties being  according  to  the  order  in  which  the  plants  have  here 
been  named.  A  few  leaves,  also,  of  the  Polygonum  Vivipa- 
rum  were  found  in  one  or  two  specimens^  The  snow-bunting, 
with  its  jprightly  note,  was,  as  usual,  one  of  our  earliest  vi- 
sitants in  the  spring;  but  these  were  few  in  number,  and  re- 
mained only  a  short  time.  A  very  few  sandpipers  were  also 
seen,  and  now  and  then  one  or  two  glaucous,  ivory,  and  kitti- 
wake  gulls.  A  |>air  of  ravens  appeared  occasionally  during 
tlie  whole  winter  here,  as  at  most  of  our  former  winter  sta- 
tions. 

The  following  temperatures  of  animals,  mostly  killed  during 
the  winter,  were  furnished  me  by  Mr.  Mojj;g,  by  whom  and 
Lieutenant  Ross  they  were  taken. 


■Jr. 


,m 


\ 


• 

.          i-^ 

8ft       - 

THIRD   VOYAGE   FOR   THE   DISCOVERY 

.r-     n'l.  '....: 

...,;./.,.:"• 

Temperature  of  the 

.;,..     t.,       i»*^«. 

^  9NM>  A  t .  134:; 

Animali, 

Animal. 

Air. 

October 

irth,  1824 

.    Arctic  Fox  .    . 

-fl05«»     . 

+19'' 

November    9th,    — 

ditto    .    .    . 

106      . 

+  r 

,<f     January 

4th,  1825 

ditto    .    .    . 

104      . 

—28 

.»,    March 

2rth,    — 

Ptarmigan   . 

102      . 

—11 

April 

4th,    — 

ditto    .    .    . 

102      . 

—IS 

.  •       "   ■ 

6th,    — 

ditto    .    .    . 

lOSJ      . 

—19 

M 

14th,    — 

•     ditto    .    .    . 

102      . 

—  6 

■-•i.       ,» 

>»        ^_ 

ditto    .    .    . 

102      . 

—  6 

.„    ).'*■., 

16th,    —      . 

White  Bear       . 

100      . 

+11 

:»» 

»        ^ 

ditto    .    .    . 

99      . 

+11 

v'    ■•    '*# 

29th,    -J.      . 

ditto    .    .    . 

99.5    . 

—  1 

*     June 

2l8t,     —        . 

Glaucous  Gull  . 

100      . 

-H7 

if 


i,t* 


With  a  view  to  extend  our  geographical  knowledge  as  much 
as  our  means  permitted,  three  land  journies  were  undertaken 
as  soon  as  the  weather  was  sufficiently  warm  for  procuring 
any  water!  The  first  party,  consisting  of  six  men  under 
Captain  Hoppner,  were  instructed  to  travel  to  the  eastward, 
to  endeavour  to  reach  the  sea  in  that  direction,  and  to  dis- 
cover the  communication  which  probably  exists  there  with 
Admiralty  Inlet,  so  as  to  determine  the  extent  of  that  portion 
of  insular  land  on  which  Port  Bowen  is  situated.  They  re- 
turned on  the  14th,  after  a  very  fatiguing  journey,  and  having 
with  difficulty  travelled  a  degree  and  three-quarters  to  the 
eastward  of  the  ships,  in  latitude  73°  19',  from  which  position 
no  appearance  of  the  sea  could  be  perceived.  Captain  Hopp- 
ner described  the  ravines  as  extremely  difficult  to  pass,  many 
of  thjem  being  four  or  five  hundred  feet  deep  and  very  pre- 
cipitous. These  being  numerous  and  running  chiefly  in  a 
north  and  south  direction,  appearing  to  empty  themselves 
into  Jackson's  Inlet,  preclude  the  possibility  of  performing  a 
quick  journey  to  the  eastward.  During  the  whole  fortnight's 
excursion,  scarcely  a  patch  of  vegetation  could  be  seeh.  In- 
deed, the  hills  were  so  covered  in  most  parts  with  soft  and 
deep  snow,  that  a  spot  could  seldom  be  found  on  wbich  to 
pitch  their  tent     A  few  snow-buntings  and  some  ivory-gulls 


I 


m, 


''i       OF   A   NORTH-WEST    PASSA«V.. 


^7 


were  all  the  animals  they  met  with,  to  enliven  this  most  bar- 
ren and  desolate  country;  and  nothing  was  observed  in  the 
geological  character  differing  from  that  about  Port  Bo  wen. 

In  the  bed  of  one  of  the  ravines,  Captain  Hoppner  noticed 
some  immense  masses  of  rock,  thirty  or  forty  tons  in  weight, 
which  had  recently  fallen  from  above,  and  he  also  passed 
over  several  avalanches  of  snow  piled  to  a  vast  height 
across  it* 

The  two  other  parties,  consisting  of  four  men  each,  under 
the  respective  commands  of  Lieutenants  Shcrer  and  Ross, 
were  directed  to  travel,  the  former  to  the  southward,  and  the 
latter  to  the  northward,  along  the  coast  of  Prince  Regent's  In- 
let, for  the  purpose  of  surveying  it  accurately,  and  of  obtain- 
ing observations  for  the  longitude  and  variation  at  the  stations 
formerly  visited  by  us  on  the  7th  and  15th  of  August,  1819. 
I  was  also  very  anxious  to  ascertain  the  state  of  the  ice  to  the 
northward,  to  enable  me  to  form  some  judgment  as  to  the  pro- 
bable time  of  our  liberation.  ^  v  i-^ 
These  parties  found  the  travelling  along  shore  so  got^d  as  to 
enable  them,  not  only  to  reach  those  spots,  but  to  extend  their 
journiesfar  beyond  them.     Lieutenant  Ross  returning  on  the 
15th,  brought  the  welcome  intelligence  of  the  sea  being  per- 
fectly open  and  free  from  ice  at  the  distance  of  twenty-two 
miles  to  the  northward  of  Port  Bowen,  by  which  I  concluded 
— what,   indeed,  had  long  before  been  a  matter  of  probable 
cor\jecture — that  Barrow's  Strait  was  not  permanently  frozen 
during  the  winter.     From  the  tops  of  the  hills  about  Cape 
York,  beyond  which  promontory  Lieutenant  Ross  travelled, 
no  appearance  of  ice  could  be  distinguished.      Innumerable 
ducks,  chiefly  of  the  king,  eider,  and  long-tailed  species,  wero 
flying  about  near  the  margin  of  the  ico,  besides  dovekies. 
looms,  and  glaucous,  kittivvake,  and  ivory  gulls.     Lieutenant 

'  •  Captain  Hoppner  gave  a  very  favourable  report  of  a  tejit  made  ofu 
patent  cloth  composed  of  two  parts  of  cambric,  with  caoutchouc  (clastir 
gum)  between,  it  is  the  manufacture  of  Mr.  Markintosli,  of  nlasffmv,  ami 
if  quite  impervious  to  water. 


♦* 


i 


11. 1 


^f 


5S 


THIRD   VOYAGBFOR   THE   WV  OVERY 


4 


Sherer  returned  to  the  ships  on  the  evening  of  the  15th,  hav- 
ing performed  a  rapid  journey  as  far  as  72i°,  and  making  an 
accurate  survey  of  the  whole  coast  to  that  distance.  In  the 
course  of  this  journey  a  great  many  remains  of  Esquimaux 
habitations  were  seen,  and  these  were  much  more  numerous 
on  the  southern  part  of  the  coast  I'l  a  grave  which  Lieute- 
nant Sherer  opened,  in  order  to  form  so/ie  idea  whether  the 
Esquimaux  had  lately  been  here,  he  found  the  body  apparent- 
ly quite  fresh;  but  as  this  might,  in  a  northern  climate,  remain 
the  case  for  a  number  of  years,  and  as  our  board  erected  in 
1819  was  still  standing  untouched  and  in  good  order,  it  is  cer- 
tain these  people  had  not  bv^jn  here  since  our  former  visit. 
Less  numerous  traces  of  the  Esquimaux,  and  of  older  date, 
occur  near  Port  Bowen,  and  in  Lieutenant  Ross's  route  along 
shore  to  the  northward,  and  a  few  of  the  remains  of  habitations 
were  those  used  as  winter  residences.  I  have  since  regretted 
that  Lieutenant  Sherer  was  not  furnished  with  more  provisions 
and  a  larger  party,  to  have  enabled  him  to  travel  round  Cape 
Kater,^  which  is  probably  not  far  distant  from  some  of  the 
northern  Esquimaux  stations  mentioned  in  my  Journal  of  the 
preceding  voyage. 

The  longitudes  observed  by  Lieutenants  Sherer  and  Ross  at 
the  two  stations  laid  down  in  1819,  by  actual  observation  on 
♦  be  spot,  were  found  to  be  from  fourteen  to  seventeen  minutes 
to  the  eastward  of  the  positions  assigned  to  them  in  the  former 
chart.  A  difference  of  fourteen  minutes  the  same  way  also 
occurs  at  Port  Bowen ;  it  is  probable,  therefore,  that  the  whole 
of  oui  former  discoveries  to  the  westward  of  Prince  Regent's 
Inlet  will  be  subject  to  a  correction  in  the  longitude  of  about 
fourteen  or  fifteen  minutes.  That  this  error  does  not  extend 
to  the  eastern  part  of  Barrow's  Strait,  appears  certain  from  the 
near  coincidence,  already  mentioned,*  between  our  longitude 
obserA  ed  on  this  voyage  at  Cape  Warrender,  and  that  in  which 
it  was  placed  in  the  survey  of  1819.    A  corrected  chart  of  the 

•  Page  43. 


•  i 


■*!# 


or   A   NORTH-WEST   PASSAGE. 


89 


whole  of  Prince  Regent's  'nlet  is  now  given,  the  eastern  coast, 
from  Cape  York  to  Cape  Kater,  being  constructed  principally 
from  the  surveys  made  by  Lieutenants  Sherer  and  Ross,  and 
the  longitudes  accurately  deduced  from  the  meridian  of  Port 
Bowen. 

The  variation  of  the  magnetic-needle  now  observed  by  our 
travellers,  at  the  stations  before  visited  in  1819,  was  found  to 
have  changed  in  the  same  way,  though  not  precisely  to  the 
same  amount,  as  at  Port  Bowen;  the  observations  of  Lieute- 
nant Sherer  giving,  to  the  southward,  an  increase  in  that  phe- 
nomenon, from  118°  24'  to  123°  47';  and  those  of  Lieutenant 
Ross,  to  the  northward,  from  115°  37'  to  116°  52',  the  elapsed 
interval  being  nearly  six  years.  These  differences  in  tho 
amount  of  change  may  in  part  ho  owing  to  the  sluggish  tra- 
'  versing  of  the  compasses,  and  t  y  to  the  observations  having 
been  made  at  different  timfts  oi    ay.        >»►.*-  .•   r  *- 

The  whole  of  the  coast  travelled  over  by  our  parties  consists 
«f  secondary  limestone;  that  tjo  the  southward  becuuiing  gradu- 
ally lower,  and  more  shelving  next  the  sea;  but  to  the  north- 
ward continuing  generally  high  and  precipitous.  At  a  place 
near  Cape  York,  Lieutenant  Ross  observed  that  the  strata, 
which  are  chiefly  horizontal,  or  nearly  so,  dipped  to  the  N. 
W.,  at  an  angle  of  about  ten  degrees,  the  cliffs  overhanging  in 
a  fearful  manner  at  that  p»rt.  In  a  mass  of  limestone  recently 
fallen  from  the  cliffs  near  the  same  spot,  were  also  found  some 
crystals  of  rhomb-spar,  containing  a  portion  of  bitumen. 

As  soon  as  the  thermometer  began  permanently  to  keep  up 
to  the  freezing  point,  the  observatory  was  prepared  for  the 
reception  of  the  clock  and  pendulum;  and  after  trying  various 
means  of  keeping  up  a  regular  temperature  during  the  times 
of  observation,  the  experiments  were  commenced  towards  the 
middle  of  June,  and  three  series  were  completed  by  Lieutenant 
Foster  before  we  went  to  sea.  The  result  of  these  experi- 
ments, with  some  account  of  the  method  of  conducting  them, 
will  be  found  in  the  Appendix.  "^ 

.12 


^>. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


|50     "^™       il^H 

m  Kii  |2.2 
1^   i:^    12.0 


m 


1.25  1  ,.4 

1^ 

^ 

6"     - 

► 

Hiotographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


33  MIST  MAIN  STRUT 

WIUTIR.N.Y.  MSM 

(7U)I73-4S03 


•  ■.      ^ 


> 


.<^ 


■^ 


t^J^ 


^%> 

.% 


<;o      ^..^^ 


f« 


THIRD   VOYAGE   FOK  THE   DISCOVERY 


The  heights  of  two  hills  above  the  sea  were  measured  tri- 
gonometrically  and  barometrically;  and  one  of  them  (Mount 
Cotterell)  was  also  accurately  levelled,  by  way  of  comparing, 
though  necessarily  on  a  small  scale,  the  results  given  by  tsioae 
three  modes  of  measurement  * 

The  great  depth  of  water  in  which  we  lay  at  Port  Bowen 
prevented  our  observing  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  tides  during 
the  winter,  by  the  usual  method  of  a  pole  moored  to  the  bot- 
tom. In  the  spring,  however,  when  the  fire-hole  along-side 
the  ship  could  be  kept  constantly  open,  we  adopted  another 
plan,  which  it  may  be  useful  to  describe.  A  stone  of  about 
three  hundred  weight  was  let  down  the  fire-hole  tothe  bottom, 
having  a  whale-line  attached  to  it  The  line  was  rove  through 
a  block  fixed  to  an  outrigger  from  the  ship's  side,  and  to  its 
other  end  was  fastened  a  weight  of  fifty  pounds.  By  this 
means,  the  line  was  kept  quite  tight,  and  a  marked  pole  being 
attached  to  it,  served  to  indicate  with  great  accuracy  the  per- 
pendicular rise  and  fall  of  the  w^ter.  The  observations  being 
given  at  length  in  the  tide-table,  I  shall  only  here  mention  the 
fact,  that  during  nine  weeks  in  the  months  of  April,  May,  and 
June,  the  morning  tides  were  found,  almost  invariably,  to  rise 
several  inches  higher  than  those  of  the  evening. 

Towards  the  end  of  June,  the  dov^kies  {Coiymbus  Chrylk) 
were  extremely  numerous  in  the  cracks  of  the  ice  at  the  en- 
trance of  Port  Bowen,  and  as  these  were  the  only  fresh  supply 
of  any  consequence  that  we  were  able  to  procure  at  this  un- 
productive place,  we  were  glad  to  permit  the  men  to  go  out 
occasionally  with  guns,  after  the  ships  were  ready  for  sea,  to 
obtain  f(fr  their  messes  this  wholesome  change  of  diet;  while 
such  excursions  also  contributed  essentially  to  their  general 
health  and  cheerfulness.  Many  hundreds  of  these  birds  were 
thus  obtained  in  the  course  of  a  few  days.     On  the  evening  of 

*  The  height  of  Mount  Cotterell,  by  trigonometrical  operation,  701.460  ft. 
»  „  barometer  „         695.500 

..  ■         M  levelling  „         702.500 


X   • 

u 


f  ■■■   OV   A  NOBTH-WBST   PASSAGE. 


H 


the  6th  of  July,  however,  I  was  greatly  shocked  at  being  in- 
formed by  Captain  Hoppner  that  John  Cotterell,*  a  seaman  of 
the  Fury,  had  been  found  drowned  in  one  of  the  cracks  of  the 
ice,  by  two  other  men  belonging  to  the  same  party,  v/ho  had 
been  with  him  but  a  few  minutes  before.  We  could  never 
ascertain  precisely  in  what  manner  this  accident  happened,  but 
it  was  supposed  that  he  must  have  over-reached  himself  in 
stooping  for  a  bird  that  he  had  killed.  His  remains  were 
committed  to  the  earth  on  Sunday  the  10th,  with  every  so- 
lemnity which  the  occasion  demanded,  and  our  situation  would 
allow;  and  a  iomb  of  stones,  with  a  suitable  inscription,  was 
afterwards  erected  over  the  grave. 

In  order  to  obtain  oil  for  another  winter's  consumption,  be- 
fore the  ships  could  be  released  from  the  ice,  and  our  travel- 
ling parties  having  seen  a  number  of  black  whales  in  the  open 
water  to  the  northward,  two  boats  from  each  ship  were,  with 
considerable  labour,  transported  four  miles  along  shore  in  that 
direction,  to  be  in  readiness  for  killing  a  whale  and  boiling 
the  oil  on  the  beach,  whenever  the  open  water  should  ap- 
proach sufficiently  near.  They  took  their  station  near  a  re- 
markable peninsular  piece  of  land  on  the  south  side  of  the  en- 
trance to  Jackson's  Inlet,  which  had,  on  the  former  voyage, 
been  taken  for  an  island.  Notwithstanding  these  preparations, 
however,  it  was  vexatious  to  find  that  on  the  9th  of  July  the 
water  was  still  three  miles  distant  from  the  boats,  and  at  least 
seven  from  Port  Bowen.  On  the  12th,  the  ice  in  our  neigh- 
bourhood began  to  detach  itself,  and  the  boats  under  the  com- 
mand of  Lieutenants  Sherer  and  Ross  being  launched  on  the 
following  day,  succeeded  almost  immediately  in  killing  a 
small  whale  of  "  five  feet  bone,"  exactly  answering  our  pur- 
pose. Almost  at  the  same  time,  and  as  it  turned  out  very  op- 
portunely, the  ice  at  the  mouth  of  our  harbour  detached  itself 

*  It  is  remarkable  that  this  poor  man  hail,  twice  before,  witliin  the  space 
«f  nine  months,  been  very  near  death  ;  for,  besides  the  accident  ah-eady 
mentioned,  of  fallinur  down  the  hili  wliich  bears  his  name,  he  was  niso  in 
imminent  danger  of  dying  of  dropsy  during  th»'  winti-r. 


I 


A 


'y 


THIRD  VOYAGE   FOR  THE   DISCOVERY 


at  an  old  crack,  and  drifted  off,  leaving  only  about  one  mile 
and  a  quarter  between  us  and  the  sea.  Half  of  this  distance 
being  cccnpied  by  the  gravelled  canal,  which  was  dissolved 
quite  through  the  ice  in  many  parts,  and  had  become  very 
thin  in  all,  every  officer  and  man  in  both  ships  were  set  to 
work  without  delay  to  commence  a  fresh  canal  from  the  open 
water,  to  communicate  with  the  other.  This  work  proved 
heaver  than  we  expected,  the  ice  being  generally  from  five 
to  eight  feet,  and  in  many  places  from  ten  to  eleven,  in  thick- 
ness. It  was  continued,  however,  with  the  greatest  cheerful- 
ness and  alacrity  from  seven  in  the  morning  till  seven  in  the 
evening  daily,  the  dinner  being  prepared  on  the  ice,  and  eaten 
under  the  lee  of  a  studding  sail  erected  as  a  tent 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  19th,  a  very  welcome  stop  was  put  to 
our  operations  by  the  separation  of  the  floe  entirely  across  the 
harbour,  and  about  one-third  from  the  ships  to  where  we  were 
at  work.     All  hands  being  instantly  recalled  by  signal  were, 
on  their  return,  set  to  work  to  get  the  ships  into  the  gravelled 
canal,  and  to  saw  away  what  still  remained  in  it  to  prevent 
our  warping  to  sea.     This  work,  with  only  half  an  hour's  in- 
termission for  the  men's  supper,  was  continued  till  half-past 
six  the  following  morning,   when  we  succeeded  in  getting 
clear.     The  weather  being  calm,  two  hours  were  occupied  in 
towing  the  ships  to  sea,  and  thus  the  officers  and  men  were 
employed  at  very  laborious  work  for  twenty-six  hours,  during 
which  time  there  were,  on  one  occasion,  fifteen  of  them  over- 
board at  once;  and  indeed  several  individuals  met  with  the 
same  accident  three  times.   It  was  impossible,  however,  to  re- 
gret the  necessity  of  these  comparatively  trifling  exertions, 
especially  as  it  was  now  evident  that  to  have  sawed  our  way 
out,  without  any  canal,  would  have  required  at  least  a  fort- 
night of  heavy  and  fatiguing  labour.  "^(j*^*!.* » 
Previously  to  commencing  my  journal  of  our  operations 
at  sea,  I  shall  here  close  our  account  of  Port  Bowcn,  in  which 
we  had  been  imprisoned  between  nine  and  ten  months,  with 
Dr.  Neill's  remarks  on  the  geological  character  of  this  coast.. 


,# 


t 


#' 


9 


OF   A   NORTH-WEST   PASSAGE. 


93 


and  with  an  abstract  of  the  most  material  nautical  and  other 
observations  made  during  our  stay  there. 

"  All  the  eastern  shore  of  Prince  Regent's  Inlet  which  we 
had  an  opportunity  of  observing,  is  formed  of  secondary  lime- 
stohe,  distinctly  stratified  in  horizontal  beds.  The  lowest 
stratum  is  very  soft  and  friable,  of  a  dull  yellow  colour,  and 
contains  a  large  quantity  of  the  fragments  of  shells  of  marine 
animals.  Over  this  occur  several  strata  more  compact  than 
the  former,  varying  in  colour  from  gray  to  black.  These  al- 
ternate with  each  other  in  long  undulated  streaks  several  hun- 
dred feet  in  length,  varying  in  thickness  from  that  of  a  line  to 
several  feet,  and  containing  many  bivalve  shells,  lepides,  &c. 
When  struck  with  a  hammer,  the  limestone  emits  a  disagree- 
able smell,  and  it  burns  nearly  snow  white;  by  chemical  tests, 
it  was  found  to  contain  from  twenty  to  thirty  per  cent,  of  car- 
bonate of  magnesia,  with  a  little  sulphur  and  bitumen.  Over 
this  lies  a  stratum  of  a  brick-red  colour,  more  compact  than 
the  other,  and  hard  enough  to  give  sparks  with  steel;  it  con« 
tains  a  considerable  proportion  of  siliceous  earth,  red  oxide  of 
iron,  and  carbonate  of  magnesia.  This  stratum  always  ex- 
tends to  the  surface,  and  is  frequently  frpm  two  to  three  hun- 
dred feet  in  thickness;  from  its  superior  hardness  and  dura- 
bility, it  frequently  overhangs  the  less  compact  subjacent 
strata.  From  its  brick-like  appearance,  and  being  formed  by 
the  action  of  the  weather  into  various  romantic  shapes,  as  of 
broken  arch.>.s,  decayed  walls,  niches,  and  turrets,  it  does  nol 
require  any  great  fertility  of  imagination  to  trace  in  it  the 
ruins  of  ancient  castles,  or  stately  palaces. 

"  Extensive  beds  of  coral  and  madrepore  rise  from  un 
known  depths  to  the  summits  of  the  highest  hills,  and  inter- 
sect the  before-mentioned  strata.  They  occupy  at  their  base 
a  space  equal  to  the  former,  if  not  greater,  but  gradually  nar- 
row towards  their  summits,  and  have  their  sides  pressed  upon 
by  the  ncighbouringr  strata.  These  beds  contain  caverns 
partly  filled  with  broken  shells,  and  fragments  of  madrepore 
and  limestone  pomented  together  by  calcareous  matter,  their 


A 


10 


■■¥' 


% 


t 


94 


TUIBU   VOYAGE   FOR  THiJ    DISCOVERY 


n 


II 


walls  being  incrusted  with  well-formed  ciystals  of  calcareous 
spar,  possessing  little  lustre  or  transparency,  on  account  of  the 
quanttty  of  red  Oxide  of  iron  they  contain.  The  beds  of  ma- 
drepore, from  their  resisting  the  destroying  effects  of  the 
weather  better  than. the  neighbouring  strata,  often  reach  a 
greater  elevation,  their  flat  tops  being  sometimes  raised  seven 
or  eight  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  This  circum- 
stance gives  to  the  land  a  very  rugged  hilly  appearance,  when 
seen  from  a  ship  inshore,  but  it  is  very  different  at  a  distance 
in  the  offing,  or  a  few  miles  inland,  when  the  country  appears 
as  it  really  is,  very  level,  but  intersected  by  some  deep  pre- 
cipitous ravines. 

"  The  low  ledges  on  the  coast  are  strewed  over  with  rolled 
masses  of  granite,  gneiss,  syenite,  mica-slate,  clay-slate,  horn- 
. blende-slate,  and  old  red  sandstone;  the  first  three  are  very 
abundant,  the  others  less  frequent.  They  vary  in  size  from 
that  of  pebbles  to  masses  of  several  hundred  tons  in  weight; 
by  those  who  travelled  inland,  these  were  observed  to  be  very 
few  in  number,  quite  small,  and  much  rounded.  It  is  more- 
over worthy  of  remark  that  these  boulders  were  found  only 
on  the  surface,  not  an  instance  having  occurred  of  any  being 
observed  to  protrude  from  the  precipices  or  the  sides  of  ra- 
vines; thus  affording  strong  reason  to  conclude  that  they  were 
brought  from  the  westward,  subsequently  to  the  formation  of 
the  present  land,  by  s.  current  of  water,  or  some  other  unknown 
agent. 

"The  limestone  of  Port  Bowen  and  its  vicinity  contains 
also  vesicular  qujirtz,  flint,  jasper,  red  and  brown  hematite, 
and  Lydian-stone.  Small  pieces  of  black  wood-stone  and 
bituminous  shale  were  found  on  the  beach,  the  latter  bearing 
the  impression  of  the  bark  of  one  of  the  palm  tribe.' 


» 


it 


Mean  Utitude  of  the  Observatory  at  Port  Bowen," 
hy  93  observations  of  the  stars,  with  the  renewing  J 
circle  »       1 


o 

73 


1^ 


39.39  N. 


w 


^ 


OF   A   NORTH-WIBST   FASSAOE. 


95 


6ix  occultationsof  fixed  stars  by  the  moon 
Twenty-three  transits  of  the  moon    .    . 
Mean  Twenty-one  eclipses  of  Jupiter's  satellites 

Longitude  of-<  Six  hundred  and  twenty  lunar  dis-~ 
ditto  by  tances  (viz.  310  )|e  East,  and  310  if, 

West  of  the  moon)    .    .    . 

V,Nine  chronometers 

Received  lonntude,  being  the  Mean  of  the  above  .    . 

Mean  dip  of  the  magnetic  needle 

Meaif  variation  of  ditto 

Mean  time  of  high  water  on  full  and  change  days 

Highest  Spring-tide 

Lowest  Neap-tide        


88  54  5^4  W. 

88  57  30.99  » 

88  52  08.85  » 

88  54  22.41  ". 

88  55  08.1    » 

88  54  48.55  " 

88  01  23.     N. 

133  31  55      W. 

,    .  lib.  12m. 

,    .  6ft.    4in. 

,    .  1        U. 


ti- 


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T-     .fa**'" 


... -v.fi.. 


« 


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^ 


96 


THrRD   VOYAGE  JOR   THE    mSCOVERT 


•f."»-ii> 


^         CHAPTER  V. 


^«^ 


C'J^' 


SAIL  OVER  TOWARDS  THE  WESTERN  COAST  OF  PRINCI?' HE- 
GENt's  inlet — STOPPED  BY  THE  ICE — REACH  THE  SHORE 
ABOUT  CAPE  SEPPINGS — FAVOURABLE  PROGRESS  ALONG 
THE     LAND — FRESH     AND    REPEATED    OBSTRUCTIONS    FROM 

lOE — BOTH     SHIPS     DRIVEN     ON     SHORE FURY     SERIOUSLY 

^      DAMAGED UNSUCCESSFUL    SEARCH    FOR    A    HAUBOUR,    FOR 

HKAVING    HER    DOAVN    TO    REPAIR.  =» 

On  standing  out  to  sea,  we  sailed,  with  a  light  southerly 
wind,  towards  the  western  shore  of  Prince  Regent's  Inlet, 
which  it  was  my  first  wish  to  gain,  on  account  of  the  evident 
advantage  to  he  derived  from  coasting  the  southern  part  of 
that  portion  of  land  called  in  the  chart  "  North  Somerset,*' 
as  far  as  it  might  lead  to  the  westward;  which,  from  our  form- 
er knowledge,  we  had  reason  to  suppose  it  would  do  as  far  at 
least  as  the  longitude  of  95°,  in  a  parallel  of  about  724°.  After 
sailing  about  eight  miles,  we  were  stopped  by  a  body  of  close 
ice  lying  between  m  and  a  space  of  open  water  beyond.  By 
way  of  occupying  tlie  time  in  further  examination  of  the  state 
of  the  ice,  we  then  bore  up  with  a  light  northerly  wind,  and 
ran  to  the  south-eastward,  to  see  if  there  was  any  clear  water 
between  the  ice,  and  the  land  in  that  direction;  but  found  that 
there  was  no  opening  between  them  to  the  southward  of  the 
flat-topped  hill  laid  down  in  the  chart,  and  now  called  Moitnt 
Sherer.  Indeed,  I  believe  that,  at  this  time,  the  ice  had  not 
yet  detached  itself  from  the  land  to  the  southward  of  that  sta- 
tion. On  standing  back,  we  were  shortly  after  enveloped  in 
one  of  the  thick  fogs  which  had,  for  several  weeks  past,  been 
observed  almost  daily  hanging  over  some  part  of  the  sea  in 


* 


< 


„* 

1 


■# 


or   A  NORTH-WEST  PASSAOE.  97 

the  offing,  though  we  had  scarcely  experienced  any  in  Port 
Bowen,  until  the  water  became  open  at  the  mouth  of  the 
harbour. 

On,  the  clearing  up  of  the  fog  on  the  21st,  we  could  per- 
ceive no  opening  of  the  ice  leading  towards  the  western  land, 
nor  any  appearance  of  the  smallest  channel  to  the  southward 
along  the  eastern  shore.  I  was  determined,  therefore,  to  try 
at  once  a  little  further  to  the  northward,  the  present  state  of 
the  ice  appearing  completely  to  accord  with  that  observed  in 
1819,  its  breadth  increasing  as  we  advanced  from  Prince  Leo- 
pold's Islands  to  the  southward.  As,  therefore,  I  felt  confi- 
dent of  being  able  to  push  along  the  shore  if  we  could  once 
gain  it,  I  was  anxious  to  effect  the  latter  object  in  any  part, 
rather  than  incur  the  risk  of  hampering  the  ships  by  a  vain, 
or  at  Last  a  doubtful  attempt  to  force  them  through  a  body  of 
close  ice  several  miles  wide,  for  the  sake  of  a  few  leagues  of 
southing,  which  would  soon  be  regained  by  coasting. 

Light  winds  detained  us  very  much,  but  being  at  length 
favoured  by  a  breeze,  we  carried  all  sail  to  the  north-west, 
the  ice  very  gradually  leading  us  towards  the  Leopold  Isles. 
Havingarrive'd  off  the  northernmost,  on  the  morningof  the  22nd, 
it  was  vexatious,  however  curious,  to  observe  the  exact  coinci- 
dence of  the  present  position  of  the  ice  with  that  which  it  occu- 
pied a  little  later  in  the  yearlSl  9.  The  whole  b0dy  of  it  seemed 
to  cling  to  the  western  shore,  as  if  held  there  by  some  strong 
attraction,  forbidding,  for  the  present,  any  access  to  it.  We 
now  stood  off  and  on,  in  tlie  hope  that  a  southerly  breeze, 
which  had  just  sprung  up,  might  serve  to  open  us  u  channel. 
In  the  evening,  the  wind  gradually  freshened,  .-.xy}  before 
midnight  had  increased  to  a  strong  gale,  which  blew  \/ith  con- 
siderable violence  for  ten  hours,  obliging  us  to  haul  off  from 
the  ice,  and  to  keep  in  smooth  water  under  the  eastern  land 
until  it  abated;  after  which  not  a  moment  was  lost  in  again 
standing  over  to  the  westward.  After  running  all  night,  with 
light  and  variable  winds,  through  loose  and  scattered  ice,  we 
suddenly  found  ourselves,  on  the  clearing  up  of  a  thick  fog 

13 


# 


\  * 

■  -ft' 


il^'A 


^■.> 


4 


m 


'^> 


■f 


■"^^ 


m 


4( 


98 


TIIIRfi  VOTAttE   ton  THE    DISCOVERY 


m 

1 

1 

1 

1 

- 

through  which  we  had '  h6en  sailing  on  the  ihoftiing  "of  the 
24th,  within  one-third  of  a  mile  of  Cape  Seppings,  the  land 
just  appearing  above  the  fog  in  time  to  save  us  from  danger, 
the  soundings  being  thirty-eight  fathoms,  on  a  rocky  bottom. 
The  Fury  being  apprised  by  guns  of  our  situation,  both  ships 
were  hauled  off  the  land,  and  the  fog  soon  after  dispersing,  we 
had  the  satisfaction  to  perceive  that  the  late  gale  had  blown 
the  ice  off  the  land,  leaving  us  a  fine  navigable  channel  from 
one  to  two  miles  wide,  as  far  as  we  could  see  from  the  mast- 
head along  the  shore.  We  were  able  taavail  ourselv.es  of  this 
but  slowly,  however,  in  consequence  of  a  light  southerly 
breeze  still  blowing  against  us.  ''^yi  *"  '  ':»•  ^«^  ':  '  ,  ' 
We  had  now  an  opportunity  of  discovering  that  a  long  neck 
of  very  low  land  runs  out  from  the  southernmost  of  the  Leo- 
pold Islands,  and  another  from  the  shore  to  the  southward  of 
Cape  Clarence.  These  two  had  every  appearance  of  joining, 
so  as  to  make  a  peninsula,  instead  of  an  island,  of  that  portion 
of  land  which,  oq  account  of  our  distance  preventing  our  seeing 
the  low  beach,  had  in  1819  been  considered  under  the  latter 
character.  It  is,  however,  still  somewhat  doubtful,  and  the 
Leopold  Isles,  therefore,  still  retain  their  original  designation 
on  the  chart  The  land  here,*  when  closely  viewed,  assumes 
a  very  striking  and  magnificent  character,  the  strata  of  lime- 
stone, which  aife  numerous  and  quite  horizontally  disposed, 
being  much  more  regular  than  on  the  eastern  shore  oC  'Prince 
Regent's  Inlet,  and  retaining  nearly  their  whole  perpendicular 
height,  of  six  or  seven  hundred  feet,  close  to  the  seat'  The 
south-eastern  promontory  of  the  southernmost  Island  is  par- 
ticularly picturesque  and  beautiful,  the  heaps  of  loose  debris 
lying  here  and  there  up  and  down  the  sides  of  the  cliff  giving 
it  the  appearance  of  some,  huge  and  impregnable  fortress,  with 
immense  buttresses  of  masonry  supporting  the  walls.  Near 
Cape  Seppings,  and  some  distance  beyond  it  to  the  south- 
ward, we  noticed  a  narrow  stratum  of  some  very  white  sub- 
stance, the  nature  of  which  we  could  not  at  this  time  conjec- 
ture.   I  may  here  remark  that  the  whole  of  Barrow's  Strait, 


^ 


% 


SIf      OP    A    NORTH-WEST    PASSA6E. 


99 


I  is  par- 
debris 
■giving 
$8,  with 
Near 
south- 
lite  sub- 
I  conjee- 
Strait, 


^s  far  as  we  could  see  to  the  N.N.E.  of  the  islands,  was  en- 
tirely free  from  ice;  and,  fi'om  vhatever  circumstance  it  may 
proceed,  I  do  not  think  that  this  part  of  the  Polar  Sea  is  at 
any  season  very  much  encumbered  with  it. 

It  was  the  general  feeling,  at  this  period,  among  us,  that 
the  voyage  had  but  now  commenced.  The  labours  of  a  bad 
summer,  and  the  tedium  of  a  long  winter,  were  forgotten 
in  a  moment,  when  we  found  ourselves  upon  ground  not 
hitherto  explored,  and  with  every  apparent  prospect  before 
us  of  making  as  rapid  a  progress  as  the  nature  of  this  navi- 
gation will  permit,  towards  the  final  accomplishment  of  our 
object. 


--  f-  ^JfiAlu.x    «i  ■rurlA-'^  - 


Early  on  the  morning  of  the  25th,  we  passed  the  opening 
in  the  land  delineated  in  the  former  chart  of  this  coast,  in  lati- 
tude 73°  34',  which  we  now  found  to  be  a  bay  about  three 
miles  deep,  but  apparently  open  to  the  sea.  I  named  it  after  my 
friend  Hastings  Elwin,  Esq.,  of  Bristol,  as  a  token  of  grateful 
esteem  for  that  gentleman.  The  wind  falling  very  light,  so  that 
the  ships  made  no  progress,  I  took  the  opportunity  of  landing 
in  the  forenoon,  accompanied  by  a  party  of  the  officers,  and 
was  soon  after  joined  by  Captain  Hoppner.  We  found  the 
formaftion  to  consist  wholly  of  lime,  and  now  discovered  the 
nature  of  the  narrow  white  stratum  observed  the  day  before 
from  the  offing,  and  which  proved  to  be  gypsum,  mostly  of  the 
earthy  kind,  and  some  of  it  of  a  very  pure  white.  A  part  of 
the  rock  near  our  landing-place  contained  a  quantity  of  it  in 
the  state  of  selenite  in  beautiful  transparent  laminae  of  a  large 
size.  The  abundance  of  gypsum  hereabouts  explained  also 
the  extreme  whiteness  of  the  water  near  the  whole  of  this  part 
of  the  coast,  which  had  always  been  observed  in  approaching- 
it,  and  which  had  at  first  excited  unnecessary  apprehensions  as 
to  the  soundings  along  the  shore.  This  colour  is  more  particu- 
larly seen  near  the  mouths  of  the  streams^  many  of  which  are 
quite  of  a  dirty  milk  colour,  and  tinge  the  sea  to  the  distance 
of  more  than  a  mile,  without  any  alteration  in  the  depth,  except 
a  gradual  diminutiQn  in  going  in.    The  vegetation,  in  this 


'« 


f'ii 


'4"' 


¥,  .1!** 


f 


*       t 


■%> 


100 


TUIKD   VOYAGE    VOU   TH£  msCOVGHV 


'i'l'il 


f 


.^. 


?) 


place  was,  as  usual,  extremely  scanty,  though  much  more 
luxuriant  than  on  any  of  the  land  near  our  winter-quarters,  and 
no  animals  were  seen.  The  latitude  of  our  landing-place 
was  73°  27'  23  ",  the  longitude  by  chronometers  90°  50'  34".6, 
and  the  variation  of  the  magnetic  needle  125°  34'  42"  west- 
erly. From  half-past  nine  a.m.  till  a  quarter  past  noon, 
the  tide  fell  two  feet  three  inches;  and  as  it  was  nearly  sta- 
tionary at  the  latter  time,  it  was  probably  near  low-water. 

A  breeze  enabling  us  again  to  make  some  progress,  and  an 
open  channel  still  favouring  us,  of  nearly  the  same  breadth  as 
before,  we  passed  during  the  night  a.  second  bay,  about  the 
same  size  as  the  other,  and  also  appearing  open  to  the  sea;  it 
lies  in  latitude  (by  account  from  the  preceding  and  following 
noon)  73°  19'  30",  and  its  widthis  one  mile  and  a  half.  It  was 
called  Batty  Bat,  after  my  friend  Captain  Robert  Batty, 
of  the  Grenadier  Guards.  We  now  perceived  that  the  ice 
closed  completely  in  with  the  land  a  short  distance  beyond  us, 
and  having  made  all  the  way  we  could,  were  obliged  to  stand 
off  and  on  during  the  day  in  a  channel  not  three-quarters  of  a 
mile  wide.  This  channel  being  still  more  contracted  towards 
the  evening,  we  were  obliged  to  make  fast  to  some  grounded 
land-ice  upon  the  beach,  in  four  fathoms'  water,  there  to  await 
some  change  in  our  favour.  We  here  observed  traces  of  our 
old  friends  the  Esquimaux,  there  being  several  of  their  circles 
of  stones,  though  not  of  recent  date,  close  to  the  sea.  We  also 
found  a  more  abundant  vegetation  than  before;  and  several 
plants  familiar  to  us  on  the  former  voyages,  but  not  yet  pro- 
cured on  this,  were  now  added  to  our  collections.  The  geolo- 
gical character  of  the  land  was  nearly  the  same  as  before,  but 
we  found  here  some  gypsum  of  the  fibrous  kind,  occurring  in 
a  single  stratum  about  an  inch  and  a  half  wide.  About  a  mile 
to  the  north  of  us  was  a  curious  cascade  or  spout  of  water,  issu- 
ing from  a  chasm  in  the  rock,  and  falling  more  than  two  hun- 
dred feet  perpendicular.  Our  gentlemen,  who  visited  the 
spot,  described  it  as  rendered  the  more  picturesque  by  innu- 
merable kittiwakes  having  their  nests  among  the  rocks,  and 


*' 


Wf;' 


*«t.. 


0. 


OF   A   NORTH-WEST   PASSAGE. 


lai 


,0  await 
of  our 
circles 
We  also 
several 
et  pro- 

geolo- 
ire,  but 
•ring  in 

a  mile 
ir,  issu- 

o  hun- 

Ited  the 

ly  innu- 

anfl 


Constantly  flying  about  the  st^-eam.  The  latitude  was  73°  06' 
17";  the  longitude  by  chronometers  91°  19'  52".  3;  the  dip  of 
the  magnetic  needle  88°  02'.1;  and  the  variation  128°  23'  17  " 
westerly. 

The  ice  opening  in  the  afternoon  of  the  27th,  we.  cast  off 
and  run  four  or  five  miles  with  a  northerly  breeze.  This  wind, 
however,  always  had  the  effect  of  making  the  ice  close  the 
shore,  while ,  a  southerly  breeze  as  uniformly  opened  it,  so 
that  on  this  coast,  as  on  several  others  that  I  have  known, 
a  contrary  wind — however  great  the  paradox  'nay  seem — 
proved,  on  the  whole,  the  most  favourable  for  making  progress. 
This  circumstance  is  simply  to  be  attributed  to  the  greater 
abundance  of  open  watrr  in  the  parts  we  have  left  behind  (in 
the  present  instance  the  open  sea  of  Barrow's  Strait)  than 
those  towards  which  we  are  going.  We  were  once  more 
obliged  to  make  fast,  therefore,  to  some  grounded  ice  close  to 
the  beach,  rather  than  run  any  risk  of  hampering  the  ships, 
and  rendering  them  unable  to  take  advantage  of  a  change  in 
our  favour. 

A  light  southerly  breeze  on  the  morning  of  the  28th  gradu- 
ally cleared  the  shore,  and  a  fresh  wind  from  the  N.W.  then 
immediately  succeeded.  We  instantly  took  advantage  of  this 
circumstance,  and  casting  off  at  six  a.m.  ran  eight  or  nine  miles 
without  obstruction,  when  we  were  stopped  by  the  ice,  which, 
in  a  closely  packed  and  impenetrable  body,  stretched  close 
into  the  shore,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  from  the  crow's 
nest.  Being  anxious  to  gain  every  foot  of  distance  that  we 
could,  and  perceiving  some  grounded  ice  which  appeared  fa- 
vourable for  making  fast  to,  just  at  a  point  where  the  clear 
water  terminated,  the  ships  were  run  to  the  utmost  extent  of 
it,  and  a  boat  prepared,  from  each  to  examine  the  depth  of  water 
at  the  intended  anchoring  place.  Just  as  I  was  about  to  leave 
the  Hecla  for  that  purpose,  the  ice  was  observed  to  be  in  rapid 
motion  towards  the  shore.  The  Fury  was  immediately  hauled 
in  by  some  grounded  masses,  and  placed  to  the  best  advantage; 
but  the  Hecla  being  mor«  advanced  was  immediately  beset  in 


« 


« 


# 


♦  i 


102 


TlllBl)    VOYAtii:    t'OK    THE    DISOOVEKIT 


i 


« 


» 

•r 


spite  of  every  exertion,  and  after  breaking  two  of  the  largest 
ice-anchors  in  endeavouri'ig  to  heave  in  to  the  shore,  wa» 
obliged  to  drift  with  the  ice,  several  masses  of-which  had  for- 
tunately interposed  themselves  between  us  and  the  land.  The 
ice  slackening  around  us  a  little  in  the  evening,  we  were  ena- 
bled, with  considerable  labour,  to  get  to  some  grounded  masses, 
where  we  lay  much  exposed,  as  the  Fury  also  did.  In  this 
situation,  our  latitude  being  72°  51'  51",  we  saw  a  compara- 
tively low  point  of  land  three  or  four  leagues  tq  the  southward, 
ivhich  proved  to  be  near  that  which  terminated  our  view  of 
this  coast  in  1819.  mciu 

On  the  29th,  the  ice  being  slack  for  a  short  distance,  we 
shifted  the  Ilecla  half  a  mile  to  the  northward,  into  a  less  in- 
secure birth.     I  then  walked  to  a  broad  valley  facing  the  sea 
near  us,  where  a  considerable  stream  discharged  itself,  and 
where,  in  passing  in  the  ships,  a  large  fish  had  been  observed 
to  jump  out  of  the  water.     In  hopes  of  finding  salmon  here, 
we  tried  for  some  time  with  several  hand-nets,  but  nothing  was 
caught  or  seen.     In  this  place  were  a  number  of  the  Esqui- 
maux stone  circles,  apparently  of  very  old  date,  being  quite 
overgrown  with  grass,  moss,  and  other  plants.     In  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  these  habitations,  the  vegetation  was  much  more 
luxuriant  than  anything  of  the  kind  we  hat'  seen  before  during 
this  voyage.     The  state  of  this  year's  plants  was  now  very 
striking,  compared  with  those  of  the  last,  and  afforded  strong 
evidence,  if  any  had  been  wanting,  of  the  difference  between 
the  two  seasons.     I  was  particularly  struck  with  the  appear- 
ance of  some  moss  collected  by  iSIr.  Hooper,  who  pointed  out 
to  me  upon  the  same  specimen  the  last  year's  miserable  seeds  just 
peeping  above  the  leaves,  while  those  of  the  present  summer 
had  already  shot  three-quarters  of  an  inch  beyond  them.  Ano- 
ther circumstance  which  we  noticed  about  this  time,  and  still 
more  so   as   the  season  advanced,   was  tlie  rapid  progress 
which  the  warmth  had  already  made  in  dissolving  the  last 
year's  snow,  this  being  always  easily  known  by  its  dingy 
colour,  and  its  admixture  witli  the  soil.    Of  the  past  win- 


'# 


«  $ 


OF  A   NORTH-WEST  PASSAGr, 


m 


ter's  snow  not  a  particle  could  be  seen,  at  the  close  of  July^ 
on  any  part  of  this  coast  These  facts,  together  with  the 
beautiful  weather  we  had  enjoyed  for  many  weeks  past,  all 
tended  to  shew  that  we  were  now  favoured  wifh  an  unusually 
fine  summer.  We  found  in  this  place,  in  the  dry  bed  of  an 
old  stream,  innumerable  fossils  in  the  limestone,  principally 
shells  and  madrepore.  On  a  hill  ahreaist  of  the  Hecia,  and  at 
an  elevation  of  not  less  than  three  or  four  hundred  feet 
above  the  sea,  one  particular  spot  was  discovered,  in. which 
the  same  kind  of  shells  first  found  in  Barrow's  Strait  in  1819, 
occurred  in  very  great  abundance  and  perfection,  wholly 
detached  from  the  lime  in  which,  for  the  most  part,  they  were 
found  imbedded  in  other  pinoes  onthiscoast.  Indeed  it  wasquite 
astonishing,  in  looking  at  the  numberless  fossil  anim.al  rem.ains 
occurring  in  many  of  the  stones,  to  consider  the  countless 
myriads  of  shell-fish  and  marine  insepts  which  must  once  have 
existed  on  this  shore.  The  cliffs  next  the  sea,  which  here  rise 
to  a  perpendicular  height  of  between  four  and  five  hundred 
feet,  were  continually  breaking  down  at  this  season,  and  add- 
ing, by  falls  of  large  masses  of  stone,  to  the  slope  of  debris 
lying  at  their  foot  The  ships  lay  so  close  to  the  shore  as  to  be 
almost  within  the  range  of  some  of  these  tumbling  masses, 
there  being  at  high  water  scarcely  beach  enough  for  a  person 
to  walk  along  the  shore.  The  time  of  high  water,  near  the 
opposition  of  the  moon  this  night,  was  between  half-pastelevcn 
and  midnight,  being  nearly  the  same  as  at  Port  Bowen  at  full 
and  change. 

The  ice  opening  for  a  mile  and  a  half  alongshore  on  the 
30th,  we  shifted  the  Hecla's  birth  about  that  distance  to  the 
southward,  chiefly  to  be  enabled  to  see  more  distinctly  round 
a  point  which  before  obstructed  our  view,  though  our  situa- 
tion, as  regarded  the  security  of  the  ship,  was  much  altered 
for  the  worse.  The  Fury  remained  where  she  was,  there 
being  no  second  birth  even  so  good  as  the  bad  one  where  she 
was  now  lying.  In  the  afternoon  it  blew  a  hard  gale,  with 
constant  rain,  from  the  northward,  the  clouds  indicating  an 


V 


a  I 


k 


!04 


THIRD  VOYACE   FOB  THE   DISCOVERY. 


•*. 


easterly  wind  in  other  parts.    This  wind,  which  was  always 
the  troublesome  one  to  us,  soon  brought  the  ice  closer  and, 
closer,  till  it  pressed  with  very  considerable  violence  on  both 
ships,  though  the  most  upon  the  Fury,  which  lay  in  a  veryi  . 
exposed  situation.     The  Hecla  received  no  damage  but  the 
breaking  of  two  or  three  hawsers,  and  a  part  of  her  bulwark 
torn  away  by  the  strain  upon  them.     In  the  course  of  the 
night  we  had  reason  to  suppose,  by  the  Fury's  heeling,  that 
she  was  either  on  shore,  or  still  heavily  pressed  by  the  ice 
from  without     Early  on  the  morning  of  the  ^Ist,  as  soon  as 
a  communication  could  be  effected.  Captain  Hoppner  sent  to 
inforni  me  that  the  Fury  had  been  forced  on  the  ground, 
where  she  still  lay;  but  that  she  would  probably  be  hove  off 
without  much  difficulty  at  high  water,  provided  the  external 
ice  did  not  prevent  it     I  also  learned  from  Captain  Hoppner 
that  a  part  of  one  of  the  propelling  wheels  had  been  destroyed, 
the  chock  through  which  its  axis  passed  being  forced  in  con- 
siderably, and  the  palm  broken  off  one  of  the  bower  anchors. 
Most  of  this  damage,  however,  was  either  of  no  very  material 
importance,  or  could  easily  be  repaired.     A  large  party  of 
hands  from  the  Hecla  being  sent  round  to  the  Fury  towards 
high  water,  she  came  off  the  ground  with  very  little  strain,  so 
that,  upon  the  whole,  considering  the  situation  in  which  the 
ships  were  lying,  we  thought  ourselves  fortunate  in  having  in- 
curred no  very  serious  injury.     The  Fury  was  shifted  a  few 
yards  into  the  best  place  that  could  be  found,  and  the  wind 
again  blowing  strong  from  the  northward,  the  ice  remained 
close  about  us.     A  shift  of  wind  to  the  southward  in  the  after- 
noon at  length  began  gradually  to  slacken  it,  but  it  ,was  not  till 
8ix  A.M.  on  the  1st  of  August  that  there  appeared  a  prospect 
of  making  any  progress.     There  was,  at  this  time,  a  great 
deal  of  water  to  the  southward,  but  between  us  and  the  chan- 
nel there  lay  one  narrow  and  not  very  close  (itream  of  ice 
touching  the  shore.     A  shift  of  wind  to  the  northward  deter- 
mined me  at  once  to  take  advantage  of  it,  as  nothing  but  a 
free  wind  seemed  requisite  to  enable  us  to  reych  thi/i  promia- 


•% 


■•*• 


OF   A  NORTH-WEST   PASSAGE. 


105 


ing  channel.  The  signal  to  that  effect  was  immediately  made, 
but  whilq  the  sails  were  setting,  the  ice,  which  had  at  first 
been  about  threes-quarters  of  a  mile  distant  from  us,  was  ob- 
served to  be  closing  the  shore.  The  ships  were  cast  with  all 
expedition,  in  hopes  of  gaining  the  broader  channel  before  the 
ice  had  time  to  shut  us  up.  So  rapid,  however,  was  the  lat- 
ter in  this  its  sudden  movement,  that  we  had  but  just  got  the 
ships'  heads  the  right  way,  when  the  ice  came  bodily  in  upon 
us,  being  doubtless  set  in  motion  by  a  very  sudden  freshening 
of  the  wind  almost  to  a  gale  in  the  course  of  a  few  minutes. 
The  ships  were  now  almost  instantly  beset,  and  in  such  a  man- 
ner as  to  be  literally  helpless  and  unmanageable.  In  such 
cases,  it  must  be  confessed  that  the  exertions  made  by  heaving 
at  hawsers  or  otherwise  are  of  little  more  service,  than  in  the 
occupation  they  furnish  to  the  men's,  minds  under  circum- 
stances of  difficulty;  for  when  the  ice  is  fairly  acting  against 
the  ship,  ten  times  the  strength  and  ingenuity  could  in  reality 
avail  nothing. 

The  sails  were,  however,  kept  set,  and  as  the  body  of  ice 
was  setting  to  the  southward  withal,  we  went  with  it  some 
little  distance  in  that  direction.  The  Hecla,  after  thus  driving, 
and  now  and  then  forcing  her  way  through  the  ice,  in  all 
about  three-quarters  of  a  mile,  quite  close  to  the  shore,  at 
length  struck  the  ground  forcibly  several  times  in  the  space 
of  a  hundred  yards,  and  being  then  brought  up  by  it,  remained 
immoveable,  the  depth  of  water  under  her  keel  abaft  being 
sixteen  feet,  or  about  a  foot  less  than  she  drew.  The  Fury 
continuing  to  drive  was  now  irresistibly  carried  past  us,  and 
we  escaped,  only  by  a  few  feet,  the  damage  invariably  occa- 
sioned by  ships  coming  in  contict  under  such  circumstances. 
She  had  however  scarcely  pait  us  a  hundred  yards,  when  it 
was  evident,  by  the  ice  pressing  her  in,  as  well  as  along  the 
shore,  that  she  must  soon  be  stopped  like  the  Hecla;  and 
having  gone  about  two  hundred  yards  further  she  was  ob- 
served to  receive  a  severe  pressure  from  a  large  floe-piece 
forcing  her  directly  against  a  grounded  ma«s  of  ice  upon  the 

14 


!    ► 


I-        -ll 


<n 


lUG 


THIUD   VOYAGE   FOK  THE    UISCOVEUIT 


"\ 


beach.  After  setting  to  the  southward  for  an  hour  or  two 
longer,  the  ice  became  stationary,  no  open  water  being  any- 
where visible  from  the  mast-head,  and  the  pressure  on  the 
ships  remaining  undiminished  during  the  day.  Just  as  I  had 
ascertained  the  utter  impossibility  of  moving  the  Heda  a  sin- 
gle foot,  and  that  she  must  lie  quite  aground  fore  and  afl  as 
soon  as  the  tide  fell,  I  received  a  note  from  Captain  Hoppner 
informing  me  that  the  Fury  had  been  so  severely  "  nipped" 
and  strained  as  to  leak  a  good  deal,  apparently  about  four 
inches  an  hour;  that  she  was  still  heavily  pressed  both  upon 
the  ground  and  against  the  large  mass  of  ice  within  her;  that 
the  rudder  was  at  present  very  awkwardly  situated;  and  that 
one  boat  had  been  nmch  damaged.  As  the  tide  fell,  the  Fury's 
stern  which  was  aground  was  lifted  several  feet,  and  the  He- 
cla,  at  low  water,  having  sewed  live  feet  forward  and  two 
abaft,  we  presented  altogether  no  very  pleasing  or  comfortable 
spectacle.  However,  about  high  water,  the  ice  very  oppor- 
tunely slacking,  the  Hecla  was  hove  off  with  great  ease,  and 
warped  to  a  floe  in  the  ofhng  to  which  we  made  fast  at  mid- 
night. The  Fury  was  not  long  after  us  in  coming  off  the 
ground,  when  I  was  in  hopes  of  finding  that  any  twist  or 
strain  by  which  her  leaks  might  have  been  occasioned,  would, 
in  some  rneasure,  have  closed  when  she  was  relieved  from 
pressure  and  once  more  fairly  afloat.  My  disappointment  and 
mortification,  therefore,  may  in  some  measure  be  imagined, 
at  being  informed  by  telegraph,  about  two  a.m  on  the  2nd, 
that  the  water  was  gaining  on  two  pumps,  and  that  a  part  of 
the  doubling  had  floated  up.  The  Hecla  having,  in  the  mean 
time,  been  carried  two  or  three  miles  to  the  southward,  by 
the  ice  which  was  once  more  driving  in  that  direction,  I  di- 
rected Captain  Hoppner  by  signal  to  endeavour  to  reach  the 
best  security  inshore  which  the  present  slackness  of  the  ice 
might  permit,  until  it  was  possible  for  the  Hecla  to  rejoin 
him.  Presently  after,  perceiving  from  the  mast-head  some> 
thing  like  a  small  harbour  nearly  abreast  of  us,  every  effort 
was  made  to  get  once  more,  towards  the  shore.    In  this  the 


:^'    * 


m^- 


.# 


7»  OF   A   NORTH-WEST  PASSAGE. 


107 


ice  happily  favoured  us,  and  after  making  sail,  and  one  or  two 
tacks,  we  got  in  with  the  land,  when  I  left  the  ship  in  a  boat 
to  sound  the  place,  and  search  for  shelter.  I  soon  had  the 
mortification  to  find  that  the  harbour  which  had  appeared  to 
present  itself  so  opportunely,  had  not  more  than  six  or  seven 
feet  of  water  in  any  part  of  it,  the  whole  of  its  defences  being 
composed  of  the  stones  and  soil  washed  down  by  a  stream 
which  here  emptied  itself  into  the  sea.  From  this  place,  in- 
deed, where  the  land  gradually  became  much  lower  in  ad- 
vancing to  the  southward,  the  whole  nature  of  the  soundings 
entirely  altered,  the  water  gradually  shoaling  in  approaching 
the  beach,  so  that  the  ships  could  scarcely  come  nearer  in 
most  parts  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  At  this  distance,  the 
whole  shore  was  more  or  less  lined  with  grounded  masses  of 
ice;  but  after  examining  the  soundings  within  more  than 
twenty  of  them,  in  the  space  of  about  a  mile,  I  could  only 
find  two  that  would  allow  the  ships  to  float  at  low  water,  and 
that  by  some  care  in  placing  and  keeping  them  there.  Having 
fixed  a  flag  on  each  berg,  the  usual  signal  for  the  ships  taking 
their  stations,  I  rowed  on  board  the  Fury,  and  found  four 
pumps  constantly  going,  to  keep  the  ship  free,  and  Captain 
Hoppner,  his  oflicers  and  men,  almost  exhausted  with  the  in- 
cessant labour  of  the  last  eight  and  forty  hours.  The  instant 
the  ships  were  made  fast.  Captain  Hoppner  and  myself  set  out 
in  a  boat  to  survey  the  shore  still  further  south,  there  being  a 
narrow  lane  of  water  about  a  mile  in  that  direction ;  for  it  had 
now  become  too  evident,  however  unwilling  we  might  have 
been  at  first  to  admit  the  conclusion,  that  the  Fury  could  pro- 
ceed no  further  without  repairs,  and  that  the  nature  of  those 
repairs  would  in  all  probability  in^lve  the  disagreeable,  I 
may  say  the  ruinous,  necessity  of  heaving  the  ship  down. 
After  rowing  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile,  we  considered 
ourselves  fortunate  in  arriving  at  a  bolder  part  of  the  beach, 
where  three  grounded  masses  of  ice,  having  from  three  to 
four  fathoms  water  at  low  tide  within  them,  were  so  disposed 
as  to  afibrd,  with  the  assistance  of  art,  something  like  shelter. 


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Wild  and  insecure  as,  under  other  circumstances,  such  a  place 
would  have  been  thought,  for  the  purpose  of  heaving  a  ship 
down,  we  had  no  alternative,  and  therefore  as  little  occasion 
as  we  had  time  for  deliberation.  Returning  to  the  ships,  we 
were  setting  the  sails  in  order  to  run  to  the  appointed  place, 
when  the  ice  closed  in  and  prevented  our  moving,  and  in  a 
short  time  there  was  once  more  no  open  water  to  be  seen.  We 
were,  therefore,  under  the  necessity  of  remaining  in  our  pre- 
sent births,  where  the  smallest  external  pressure  must  inevita- 
bly force  us  ashore,  neither  ship  having  more  than  two  feet  of 
water  to  spare.  One  watch  of  the  Hecla*s  crew  were  sent 
round  to  assist  at  the  Fury's  pumps,  which  required  one- 
third  of  her  ship's  company  to  be  ponstantly  employed  at 
them.  '  ''*'"''*  "*''  ■"'"*'"'^*'*^''''^  'Ufr.^.-'.i <■,'.>;-    , 

I  now  received  from  Captain  Hoppner  the  following  more 
detailed  account  of  the  Fury's  accident,  which  it  is  proper  for 
me  here  to  record. 

"  We  had  scarcely  driven  clear  of  the  Hecla  at  10.30.  a.m. 
on  the  1st,  before  a  heavy  floe-piece  pressed  against  our  lar- 
board quarter,  and  forced  the  ship  against  A  high  mass  of 
grounded  ice  which  threatened  to  tear  everything  away.  The 
ship  received  so  severe  a  "nip,"  that  she  trembled  violently, 
whilst  the  beams  and  timbers  cracked,  and  a  crash  like  the 
report  of  a  musket  was  h6ard  under  the  larboard  quarter  by 
two  or  three  persons  who  chanced  to  be  below.     The  rudder 
was  forced  hard  over  to  starboard,  and  but  very  little  more 
pressure  seemed  requisite  to  tear  it  from  the  stern-post.  Find- 
ing, after  a  short  time,  that  the  ice  did  not  ease  again  outside 
of  uSj  everybody  was  employed  in  securing  the  boats  and  an- 
chors, which  had  alreacly  suffered  materially,  and  had  nar- 
rowly escaped  being  torn  to  pieces  in  passing  the  high  ice. 
While  we  were  thus  employed,  the  carpenter  reported  the 
ship  to  be  making  water  rapidly.     From  a  wish  not  to  create 
any  unnecessary  sensation,  and  to  make  our  situation  appear 
as  favourable  as  possible,  it  was  at  first  treated  lightly,  and 
the  pumps  not  set  to  work  till  after  dinner,  when  the  water 


M 


•»* 


?4  OP   A   NORTH-WEST  PAS8AOK. 


109 


had  risen  to  four  feet  in  the  well,  and  after  trying  one  and 
two  of  the  pumpsj  it  was  found  necessary  to  set  all  four  to 
work  to  keep  her  free,  it  being  computed  that  she  made  about 
three  feet  per )iour.    •    :•  i  -•"'    .  .  .   ^  '^'^''V  ^ 

"  At  the  time  we  were  first  driven  in,  it  wanted  about  an 
hour  of  high- water,  and  the  ship  had  then  barely  her  draught 
of  water  abaft;  so  that  when  the  tide  fell  she  sewed  more  than 
siy  feet  abaft,  whilst  her  bow,  which  was  very  much  depressed, 
just  took  the  ground.  As  it  seemed  probable  that  the  i;ame  floe- 
piece  which  had  caused  all  the  injury,  might  assist  to  drag  us  off 
when  it  again  set  from  the  land,  the  stream-cable  and  a  six- 
inch  hawser  were  secured  to  it;  but  unfortunately  it  began 
moving  about  low  water,  and  the  ship  being  too  firmly  fixed,  the 
ropes  broke  after  bearing  a  heavy  strain.  It  was  not  until  mid- 
night that  the  ship  floated,  when  we  hove  off,  and  were  again 
driven  to  the  southward  amongst  the  body  of  ice;  all  our  ex- 
ertions being  directed  to  getting  hold  of  a  large  piece  outside 
with  the  hope  that  it  would  drag  us  off  the  land.  This,  how- 
ever, we  were, unable  to  effect;  and  were  in  momentary  ex- 
pectation of  again  driving  on  shore.  The  Hecla  was  now 
driving  fast  from  us,  and  as  our  people  were  nearly  exhausted, 
I  communicated  our  situation  to  Captain  Parry  by  signal ;  and 
a  breeze  springing  up  soon  after  from  the  land,  opened  the 
ice  sufliciently  to  enaBle  the  ships  to  join." 

The  jce  coming  in  with  considerable  violence  on  the  night 
of  the  2nd,  once  mere  forced  the  Fury  on  shore,  so  that  at 
low  water  she  sewed  two  feet  and  a  half.  Nothing  but  the 
number  and  strength  of  the  Hecla's  hawsers  prevented  her 
sharing  the  same  fate,  for  the  pressure  was  just  as  much  as 
seven  of  these  of  six  inches,  and  two  stream-cables,  would 
bear.  The  Fury  floated  in  the  morning,  and  was  enabled  to 
haul  off  a  little,  but  there  was  no  opening  of  the  ice  to  allow 
us  to  move  to  our  intended  station.  The  more  leisure  we  ob- 
tained to  consider  the  state  of  the  Fury,  the  more  apparent 
became  the  absolute,  however  unfortunate,  necessity  of  heav- 
ing her  down.     Four  pumps  were  required  to  be  at  work 


./l^- 


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THIRD   VOYAGE   FOR   THE   DISCOVERY 


without  intermission,  to  keep  her  free,  and  this  in  perfectly 
smooth  water,  shewing  that  she  was  in  fact  so  materially  in- 
jur^ as  to  be  very  far  from  sea-worthy.  One-third  of  her 
working  men  were  constantly  employed,  as  before  remarked, 
in  this  laborious  operation,  and  some  of  theii-  hands  had  be- 
come so.  sore  from  the  constant  friction  of  the  ropes,  that  they ' 
could  hardly  handle  them  any  longer  without  the,  use  of  mit- 
tens, assisted  by  the  unlaying  of  the  ropes  to  make  them  so|t. 

When,  in  addition  to  these  circumstances,  the  wet  state  of 
the  decks  and  the  little  room  left,  as  well  as  the  reduced 
strength  for  working  the  ship,  or  heaving  at  hawsers  among 
the  lee,  be  considered,  I  believe  that  every  seaman  will  admit 
the  impracticability  of  pursuing  this  critical  navigation  till  the 
Fury  had  been  examined  and  repaired.  As,  therefore,  not  a 
moment  could  be  lost,  we  took  advantage  of  a  small  lane  of  wa- 
ter deep  enough  for  boats,  which  kept  open  within  the  ground- 
ed masses  along  the  shore,  to  convey  to  the  Hecla  some  of 
the  Fury's  dry  provisions,  and  to  land  a  quantity  of  heavy 
iron-work,  and  other  stores  not  perishable;  for  the  moment 
this  measure  was  determined  on,  I  was  anxious,  almost  at 
any  risk,  to  commence  the  lightening  of  the  ship  as  far  as 
our  present  insecurity  and  our  distance  from  the  shore  would 
permit  -      * 

The  wind  blowing  fresh  from  the  northward,  which  always 
increased  our  difficulties  on  this  coast,  the  ice  pressec^  so  vio- 
lently upon  the  ships  as  almost  to  force  them  adrift  during  the 
night,  employing  our  people,  now  sufficiently  harassed  by  their 
work  during  the  day,  for  two  or  three  hours,  in  still  further 
increasing  our  security  by  additional  hawsers.  We  continued 
landing  stores  from  the  Fury  on  the  4th,  and  at  night  a  bower- 
cable  was  passed  round  one  of  the  grounded  inasses  alongside 
of  her;  for  if  either  ship  bad  once  got  adrift,  it  is  difficult  to 
say  what  might  have  been  the  consequence. 

At  two  A.M.  on  the  5th,  the  ice  began  to  slacken  near  the 
ships,  and  as  soon  as  a  boat  could  be  rowed  along  shore  to  the 
soujiiward,  I  set  out,  accompanied  by  a  second  from  the  Fury, 


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»         t'Of  A   NOKTH-WJi'sT  PASSAGE.  ^  111 

for  the  purpose  of  examining  the  state  of  our  intended  harbour 
since  the  recent  pressure,  and  to  endeavour  to  prepare  for  the 
reception  of  the  ships  by  clearing  out  the  loose  ice.  On  my 
arrival  there,  the  distance  being  about  a  mile,  I  found  that  one 
of  the  three  bergs  had  shifted  its  place  so  materially  by  the 
late  movements  of  the  ice,  as  not  only  to  alter  the  disposition 
of  these  masses,  on  which  our  whole  dependence  rested,  very 
much  for  the  wobse,  but  also  to  destroy  all  confidence  in  their 
stability  upon  the  ground.  Landing  upon  one  of  the  bergs, 
to  show  the  appointed  signal  for  the  ships  to  come,  I  perceived 
about  half  a  mile  to  the  soutliward  beyond  us  a  low  point,  form- 
ing a  little  bay,  with  'a  great  deal  of  heavy  grounded  ice  lying 
off  it  I  immediately  rowed  to  this,  in  hopes  of  finding  some- 
thing like  a  harbour  forour  purpose,  but  on  my  arrival  thereihad 
once  more  the  mortification  to  find  that  there  was  not  above  six 
feet  of  water,  at  low  tide,  in  any  part  of  it,  and  within  the 
grounded  ice  not  more  than  twelve.  Having  assured  myself 
that  no  security  or  shelter  was  here  to  be  found,  I  immediately 
returned  to  the  former  place,  which  the  Hecla  was  just  reach- 
ing. The  Fury  was  detained  some  time  by  a  quantity  of  loose 
ice  which  had  wedged  itself  in,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  leave 
her  no  room  to  move  outwards;  but  she  arrived  about  seven 
o'clock,  when  both  ships  were  made  fast  in  the  best  births  we 
could  find,  but  they  were  still  excluded  from  their  intended 
place  by  the  quantity  of  ice  which  had  fixed  itself  there. 
Within  twenty  minutes  after  our  arrival,  the  whole  body  of 
ice  again  came  in,  entirely  closing  up  the  shore,  so  that  out- 
moving  proved  most  opportune. 


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1^ 


CHAPTER  VI. 

FORMATION     OP   A   BASIN   FOR   HEAVING  THE   FURY    DOWN- 
LANDING     OF   THE   fury's   stores,    AND   OTHER   FREPARA" 


TIONS — THE   .SHIPS     SECURED   WITHIN   THE    BASIN — IMPB 

DIMENT8    FROM   THE   PRESSURE    OF   THE    ICE 

* . 


FURY   HOVE 

DOWN — SECURITIES  OF  THE  BASIN  DESTROYED  BY  A  GALE 
OP  WIND — PREPARATIONS  TO  TOW  THE  FURY  OUT — HE- 
CLA  RE-EQUIPPED,  AND  OBLIGED  TO  PUT  TO  SEA — FURY 
AGAIN  DRIVEN  ON  SHORE — REJOIN  THE  FVRY;  AND  FIND 
IT   NECESSARY   FINALLY   TO   ABANDON   HER. 

'  ^s  there  was  now  no  longer  room  for  floating  the  ice  out 
of  our  {Proposed  basin,  all  hands  were  immediately  employed 
in  preparing  the  intended  securities  against  the  incursions  of 
the  ice.  These  consisted  of  anchors  carried  to  the  beach, 
having  bower-cables  attached  to  them,  passing  quite  round 
the  grounded  masses,  and  thus  enclosing  a  small  space  of  just 
sufficient  size  to  admit  both  ships.*  The  cables  we  proposed 
floating  by  means  of  the  two  hand-masts  and  some, empty 
casks  lashed  to  them  as  buoys,  with  the  intention  of  thus 
making  them  receive  tHe  pressure  of  the  ice  a  foot  or  two  be- 
low the  surface  of  the  water.  By  uncommon  exertions  on  the 
part  of  the  officers  and  men,  this  laborious  work  was  com- 
pleted beiore  night  as  far  as  was  practicable  until  the  loose  ice 
should  set  out;  and  all  the  tents  were  set  up  on  the  beach  for 
the  reception  of  the  Fury's  stores.- 

The  ice  remaining  quite  close  on  the  6th,  every  individual 
in  both  ships,  with  the  exception  of  those  at  the  pumps,  was 
employed  in  landing  provisions  from  the  Fury,  together  with 
the  spars,  boats,  and  everjK,hing  from  ofi"  her  upper  deck. 
The  ice  coming  in,  in  the  afternoon,  with  a  degree  of  pressure 
which  usually  attended  a  northerly  wind  on  this  coast,  twisted 
the  Fury's  rudder  so  forcibly  against  a  mass  of  ice  lying  un- 
der her  stern,  that  it  was  for  some  hours  in  great  danger  of 

•  Seethe diagnun, p.  114,  ,  t^jj,. 


or 


gar 
Ihel 


■Ml 


■d- 


OP    A   NORTH-WEST    PASSAGE.  *«.         113 

being  damaged,  and  was  indeed  only  saved  by  the  efforts  of 
Captain  Hoppner  and  his  officers,  who,  without  breaking  off 
the  men  from  their  other  occupations,  themselves  worked  at 
the  ice-saw.  On  the  following  day,  the  ice  remaining  as  be- 
fore, the  work  was  continued  without  intermission,  and  a  great 
quantity  of  things  landed.  The  two  carpenters,  Messrs.  Pul- 
fer  and  Fiddis,  took  the  Fury's  boats  in  hand  themselves, 
their  men  being  required  as  part  of  our  physical  strength  in 
clearing  the  ship.  The  armourer  was  also  set  to  work  on  the 
beach  in  forging  bolts*  for  the  martingales  of  the  outriggers. 
In  short  every  living  creature  among  us  was  somehow  or 
other  employed;  not  even  excepting  our  dogs,  which  were 
set  to  drag  up  the  stores  on  the  beach ;  so  that  our  little  dock- 
yard soon  exhibited  the  most  animated  scene  imaginable.  The 
quickest  method  of  landing  casks,  and  other  things  not  too 
weighty,  was  that  adopted  by  Captain  Hoppner,  and  consisted 
of  a  hawser  secured  to  the  ship's  main  mast-head,  and  set  up 
as  tight  as  possible  to  the  anchor  on  the  beach;  the  casks  be- 
ing hooked  to  a  block  traversing  on  this  as  a  jack-stay,  were 
made  to  run  down  it  with  great  velocity.  By  this  means 
more  than  two  were  got  on  shore  for  every  one  landed  by  the 
boats,  the  latter,  however,  being  constantly  employed  in  ad- 
dition. The  Fury  was  thus  so  much  lightened  in  the  course  of 
the  day,  that  two  pumps  were  now  nearly  sufficient  to  keep  her 
free,  and  this  number  continued  requisite  until  she  was  hove 
down.  Her  spirit-room  was  now  entirely  clear,  and  on  ex- 
amination the  water  was  found  to  be  rushing  in  through  two 
or  three  holes  that  happened  to  be  in  the  ceiling,  and  which 
were  immediately  plugged  uj).  Indeed,  it  was  now  very  evi- 
dent that  nothing  but  the  tightness  of  the  Fury's  diagonal  ceil- 
ing had  so  long  kept  her  alloat,  and  that  any  ship  not  thus 
fortified  within  could  not  possibly  have  been  kept  free  by  the 
pumps. 

At  night,  just  as  the  people  were  going  to  rest,  the  ice  be- 
gan to  move  to  the  southward,  and  soon  after  came  in  towards 
the  shore,  again  endangering  the  Fury's  rudder,*  and  pressing 

*  1  have  mentioned  tlie  endangering  of  the  rudders  so  frequently  about 

15 


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THIRD   VOYAGE    FOK  THE  DISCOVERV 


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her  over  on  her  side  to  so  alarming  a  degree,  as  to  warn  u» 
that  it  would  not  be  safe  to  lighten  her  much  more  in  her 
present  insecure  situation.  One  of  our  bergs  also  shifted  its 
position  by  this  pressure,  so  as  to  weaken  our  confidence  in 
the  pier-heads  of  our  intended  basin;  and  a  long  "  tongue" 
of  one  of  them  forcing  itself  under  the  Hecla's  fore-foot, 
while  the  drift-ice  was  also  pressing  her  forcibly  from  astern, 
she  once  more  sewed  three  or  four  feet  forward  at  low  water, 
and  continued  to  do  so,  notwithstanding  repeated  endeavours 
to  haul  her  bfT,  for  four  successive  tides,  the  ice  remaining  so 
close  and  so  much  doubled  under  the  ship,  as  to  render  it  im- 
possible to  move  her  a  single  inch.  Notwithstanding  the 
state  of  the  ice,  however,  we  did  not  remain  idle  on  the  8th, 
all  hands  being  employed  in  unrig<>;ing  the  Fury,  and  landing 
all  her  spars,  sails,  booms,  boats,  juid  other  top-weight.  In 
the  afternoon,  we  carried  a  third  bower-anchor  to  the  beach, 
and  secured  another  cable  to  the  bight  of  the  former  ones,  on 
the  north  side  of  the  basin,  as  shewn  at  b  in  the  annexed  dia- 
gram, which  will  give  the  best  idea  of  the  nature  of  the  har- 
howT  we  were  forming. 


:.■'  •* 


rjf 


k. 


m 


this  time,  that  seamen  may  ask  why  they  were  not  unshipped.    It  will 
give  a  tolerable  idea  of  the  critical  situation  in  which  we  had  for  several 


days 
water 


*' 


OP   A   NOnXH-WEST   PASSAGE. 


115 


This  was  the" more  necessary,  on  account  of  the  long  bight  of 
the  cable  from  c  to  g^  which  any  pressure  would  be  sure  to 
bring  home  upon  the  ships,  and  also  because  the  ice  always 
exerted  the  greatest  force  from  that  side.  Indeed,  the  whole 
space  we  could  hope  to  render  Ser  ire  was  so  extremely  con" 
tracted,  that  ,ve  could  not  afford  to  lose  a  single  foot  of  it;  and 
having  made  these  jireparatious,  we  anxiously  looked  for  the 
ice  slackening,  that  we  might  clear  out  our  harbour,  and 
have  an  opportunity  of  trying  its  efficacy  for  our  intended 
purpose. 

The  ice  still  continuing  very  close  on  the  9th,  all  hands 
were  employed  in  attempting,  by  saws  and  axes,  to  clear  the 
Hecla,  which  still  grounded  on  the  tongue  of  ice  every  tide. 
After  four  hours'  labour,  they  succeeded  in  making  four  or 
five  feet  of  room  astern,  when  the  ship  suddenly  glided  down 
off  the  tongue  with  considerable  force,  and  became  once  more 
afloat.  We  then  got  on  shore  the  the  Hecla's  cables  and  haw- 
sers for  the  accommodation  of  the  Fury's  men  in  our  tiers 
during  the  heaving  down,  struck  our  top-masts  which  would 
be  required  as  shores  and  outriggers,  and,  in  short,  continued 
to  occupy  every  individual  in  some  preparation  or  other. 
These  being  entirely  completed  at  an  early  hour  in  the  after- 
noon, we  ventured  to  go  on  with  the  landing  of  the  coals  and 
provisions  from  the  Fury,  preferring  to  run  the  risk  which 
would  thus  be  incurred,  to  the  loss  of  even  a  few  hours  in  the 
accomplishment  of  our  present  object.  As  it  very  oppor- 
tunely happened,  however,  the  external  ice  slackened  to  the 
distance  of  about  a  hundred  yards  outside  of  us,  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  10th,  enabling  us,  by  a  most  tedious  and  laborious 
operation,  to  clear  the  ice  out  of  our  basin  piece  by  piece. 
The  difficulty  of  this  apparently  simple  process  consisted  in 
the  heavy  pressure  having  repeatedly  doubled  one  mass  under 
another,  a  position  in  which  it  requires  great  power  to  move 


^ 


■A. 


l  i. 


days  past  been  placed,  to  state  that  we  had  never  had  sufficient  depth  of 
water  (about  twenty-five  feet)  for  doing  so. 


■1 


116 


THIRD    VOYAGE    I'OH    THE    DISCOVEKY 


•"•      ^ 


■/fK 


'1 
if 


4 


Ihem,  and  also  by  the  corners  locking  in  with  the  sides  of  the 
bergs.  Our  next  business  was  to  tighten  the  cable  sufficiently 
by  means  of  purchases,  and  to  finish  the  floating  of  them  in 
the  manner  and  for  the  purpose  before  described.  After  this 
had  been  completed,  the  ships  had  only  a  few  feet  in  length, 
and  nothing  in  breadth  to  spare,  but  we  had  now  great  hopes 
of  going  on  with  our  work  with  increased  confidence  and  se- 
curity. The  Fury,  which  was  placed  inside,  had  something 
less  than  eighteen  feet  at  low  water;  the  Hecla  lay  in  four 
fathoms,  the  bottom  being  strewed  with  large  and  small  frag- 
ments of  limestone. 

While  thus  employed  in  securing  the  ships,  the  smoothness 
of  the  water  enabled  us  to  see,  in  some  degree,  the  nature  of 
the  Fury's  damage;  and  it  may  be  conceived  how  much  pain 
it  occasioned  us  plainly  to  discover  that  both  the  stern-post 
and  fore-foot  were  broken  and  turned  Up  on  one  side  with  the 
pressure.  We  also  could  perceive,  as  far  as  we  were  able  to 
see'along  the  main-keel,  that  it  was  much  torn,  and  we  had 
therefore  reason  to  conclude  that  the  damage  would  altogether 
prove  very  serious.  We  also  discovered  that  several  feet  of 
the  Hecla's  false-kccl  was  torn  away  abreast  of  the  fore-chains, 
in  consequence  of  her  grounding  forward  so  frequently. 

The  ships  being  now  as  well  secured  as  our  means  permit- 
ted from  the  immediate  danger  of  ice,  the  clearing  of  the 
Fury  went  on  with  increased  confidence,  though  greater  alac- 
rity was  impossible,  for  nothing  could  exceed  the  spirit  and 
zealous  activity  of  every  individual,  and  as  things  had  turned 
out,  the  ice  had  not  obliged  us  to  wait  a  moment,  except  at 
the  actual  times  of  its  pressure.  Being  favoured  with  fine 
weather,  we  continued  our  work  very  quickly,  so  that  on  the 
12th  every  cask  was  landed,  and  also  the  powder;  and  the 
spare  sails  and  clothing  put  on  board  the  Hecla.  On  the  13th 
we  found  that  a  mass  of  heavy  ice  which  had  been  aground 
within  the  Fury  as  shewn  by  the  dotted  lines  in  the  diagram, 
had  now  floated  off"  alongside  of  her  at  high  water,  still  further 


:.^^* 


OF    A   NORTH-WEST   PASSAGE. 


117 


contracting  our  already  narrow  basin,  and  leaving  the  ship  no 
room  for  turning  round.  At  the  next  high  water,  therefore, 
we  got  a  purchase  on  it,  and  hove  it  out  of  the  way,  so  that 
at  night  it  drifted  oflf  altogether.  The  coals  and  preserved 
meats  were  the  principal  things  now  remaining  on  board  the 
Fury,  and  these  we  continued  landing  by  every  method  we 
could  devise  as  the  most  expeditious.  The  tide  rose  so  consi- 
derably at  night,  new  moon  occurring  within  an  hour  of  high 
water,  that  we  were  much  afraid  of  our  bergs  floating:  they 
remained  firm,  however,  even  though  the  ice  came  in  with  so 
much  force  as  to  break  one  of  our  hand-masts,  a  fir-spar  of 
twelve  inches  in  diameter.  As  the  high  tides  and  the  light- 
ening of  the  Fury  now  gave  us  sufficient  depth  of  water  foi- 
unshipping  the  rudders,  we  did  so,  and  laid  them  upon  the 
small  berg  astern  of  us,  for  fear  of  thei,r  being  damaged  by 
any  pressure  of  the  ice.  > 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  14th,  the  ice  slackening  a  lit- 
tle in  our  neighbourhood,  we  took  advantage  of  it,  though  the 
people  were  much  fagged,  to  tighten  the  cables,  which  had 
stretched  and  yielded  considerably  by  the  late  pressure.  It 
was  well  that  we  did  so;  for  in  the  course  of  this  day  we  were 
several  times  interrupted  in  our  work  by  the  ice  coming  with 
a  tremendous  strain  on  the  north  cables,  the  wind  blowing 
strong  from  the  N.N. W.,  and  the  whole  ** pack"  outside  of 
us  setting  rapidly  to  the  southward.  Indeed,  notwithstanding 
the  recent  tightening  and  re-adjustment  of  the  cables,  the 
bi^ht  was  pressed  in  so  much,  as  to  force  the  Fury  against 
the  berg  astern  of  her,  twice  in  the  course  of  the  day.  ]N|r. 
Waller,  who  was  in  the  hold  the  second  time  that  this  oc- 
curred, reported  that  the  coals  about  the  keelson  were  moved 
by  it,  imparting  the  sensation  of  a  part  of  the  ship's  bottom 
falling  down:  and  one  of  the  men  at  work  there  was  so 
strongly  impressed  with  that  belief,  that  he  thought  it  high 
time  to  make  a  spring  for  the  hatchway.  From  this  circum- 
stance it  seemetl  more  than  probable  that  the  main  keel  had 
received  some  serious  damage  near  the  middle  of  the  ship. 


* 


I 


.; 


,   Sij*v? 


**.• 


118 


<- 


THIRP   VOyAGB   FOR   THE   DISCOVERY 


From  this  trial  of  the  efficacy  of  our  means  of  security ,t 
it  was  plain  that  the  Fury  could  not  possibly  be  hove  ..own 
under  circumstances  of  such  frequent  and  imminent  risk:  I 
therefore  directed  a  fourth  anchor,  with  two  additional  gabies, 
to  be  disposed  as  at  a  e  in  the  diagram,  with  the  hope  of 
breaking  some  o{  the  force  of  the  ice  by  its  offering  ?  more 
oblique  resistance  than  the  other,  and  thus  by  degrees  turn- 
ing the  direction  of  the  pressure  from  the  ships.  We  had 
scarcely  completed  this  new  defence,  when  the  largest  floe  we 
had  seen  since  leaving  Port  Bowen  came  sweeping  along  the 
shore,  having  a  motion  to  the  southward  of  not  less  than  a 
mile  and  a  half  an  hour;  and  a  projecting  point  of  it,  just  graz- 
ing our  outer  berg  at  e,  threatened  to  overturn  it,  and  would 
certainly  have  dislodged  it  from  its  situation,  but  for  the  cable 
recently  attached  to  it.  A  second  similar  occurrence  took 
place  with  a  smaller  mass  of  ice,  about  midnight,  and  near  the 
top  of  an  unusually  high  spring-tide,  which  seemed  ready  to 
float  away  every  security  from  us.  For  three  hours  about 
the  time  of  this  high  water,  our  situation  was  a  most  critical 
one;  for  had  the  bergs,  or  indeed  any  one  of  them,  been  car- 
ried away  or  broken,  both  ships  must  inevitably  have  been 
driven  on  shore  by  the  very  next  mass  of  ice  that  should 
come  in.  Happily,  however,  they  did  not  suffer  any  further 
material  disturbance,  and  the  main  body  keeping  at  a  short 
distance  from  the  land  until  the  tide  had  fallen,  the  bergs 
seemed  to  be  once  more  firmly  resting  on  the  ground.  The 
only  mischief,  therefore,  occasioned  by  this  disturbance,  was 
the  slackening  of  our  cables  by  the  alteration  in  the  positions 
of  the  several  grounded  masses,  and  the  consequeitt  necessity 
of  employing  more  time,  which  nothing  but  absolute  neces- 
sity could  induce  us  to  bestow,  in  adjusting  and  tightening 
the  whole  of  them  afresh. 

The  wind  veering  to  the  W.N.W.  on  the  morning  of  the 
15th,  and  still  continuing  to  blow  strong,  the  ice  was  forced 
three  or  four  miles  off  the  land  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours, 
leaving  us  a  quiet  diy  for  continuing  our  work,  but  exciting  no 


0- 


* 


it 

% 


OP    A   NORTH-WEST    PASSAGE. 


119 


very  pleasing  sensations,  when  we  considered  what  progress 
we  might  have  been  making,  had  we  been  at  liberty  to  pursue 
our  object  The  land  was,  indeed,  so  clear  of  ice  to  the 
southward,  that  Dr.  Neill,  who  walked  a  considerable  distance 
in  that  direction,  could  see  nothing  but  an  open  channel  in- 
shore to  the  utmost  extent  of  his  view.*  We  took  advantage 
of  this  open  ^^'ater  to  send  the  launch  for  the  Fury's  iron- 
work left  at  the  former  station;  for  though  the  few  men  thus 
employed  could  very  ill  be  spared,  we  were  obliged  to  arrange 
everything  with  reference  to  the  ultimate  saving  of  time;  and 
it  would  have  occupied  both  ships'  companies  more  than  a 
whole  day,  to  carry  the  things  round  by  land. 

The  Fury  being  completely  cleared  at  an  early  hour  on  the 
16th,  we  were  all  busily  employed  in  "winding"  the  ship, 
and  in  preparing  the  outriggers,  shores,  purchases  and  addi- 
tional rigging.  Though  we  purposely  selected  the  time  ot 
high  water  for  turning  the  ship  round,  we  had  scarcely  a  fool 
of  space  to  spare  for  doing  it,  and  indeed,  as  it  was,  her  fore- 
foot touched  the  ground,  and  loosened  the  broken  part  of  the 
wood  so  much  as  to  enable  us  to  pull  it  up  with  ropes,  when 
we  found  the  fragments  to  consist  of  the  whole  of  the  "  gripe'' 
and  most  of  the  "cutwater."  The  strong  breeze  continuing, 
and  the  sea  rising  as  the  open  water  increased  in  extent,  our 
bergs  were  sadly  washed  and  wasted;  every  hour"  producing 
a  sensible  and  serious  diminution  in  their  bulk.  As,  however, 
the  main  body  of  ice  still  kept  off,  we  were  in  hopes,  now 
that  our  preparations  were  so  near  completed,  we  should  havt' 


•  In  coasting  the  high  and  more  precipitous  land  to  the  northward  of 
our  present  station,  the  wind  always  was  observed  to  blow  along  it,  ex- 
cept occasionully  in  passing  a  ravine  or  valley.  The  moment  we  opened 
this  lower  shore,  on  our  first  arrival,  we  found  the  wind  draw  tliree  or  four 
points  off  it.  Low  land  is,  on  this  acrount,  much  more  favourable  for 
coasting  in  these  seas,  than  that  which  i!>  very  high.  At  Melville  lsli»nd, 
as  another  instunce,  we  met  with  comparatively  few  and  trifling  difficulties 
till  we  came  to  high  land,  which  I  have  no  doubt  was  one  cause  at  least  of 
our  being  stopped. 


i 


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THIRD    VOVAaE    FOR   THJS    DISCOVERY 


f 


been  enabled  in  a  few  hours  to  see  the  extent  of  the  damage, 
and  repair  it  sufficiently  to  allow  us  to  proceed.  In  the  even- 
ing we  received  the  Fury's  crew  on  board  the  Hecla,  every 
arrangement  and  regulation  having  been  previously  made  for 
their  personal  comfort,  and  for  the  preservation  of  cleanliness, 
ventilation,  and  dry  vvarmtli  throughout  the  ship.  The  offi- 
cers of  the  Fury,  by  their  own  choice,  pitched  a  tent  on  shore 
for  messing  and  sleeping  in,  as  our  accomodation  for  two  sets 
of  officers  was  necessarily  confined.  On  the  17th,  when  every 
preparation  was  completed,  the  cables  were  found  again  so 
slack,  by  the  wasting  of  the  bergs  in  consequence  of  the  con- 
tinued sea,  and  possibly  also  in  part  by  the  masses  having 
moved  somewhat  inshore,  that  we  were  obliged  to  occupy  se- 
veral hours  in  putting  ihcm  to  rights,  as  we  should  soon  re- 
c[uire  all  our  strength  at  the  purchases.  One  bei^g  had  also, 
at  the  last  low  water,  fallen  over  on  its  side,  in  consequence 
of  its  substance  being  undermined  by  the  sea,  and  the  cable 
surrounding  it  was  thus  forced  so  low  under  water  as  no 
longer  to  affi)rd  protection  from  the  ice  should  it  again  come 
in.  In  tightening  the  cables,  we  found  it  to  have  theeffijct  of 
bringing  the  bergs  in  towards  the  shore,  still  further  contract- 
ing our  narrow  basin;  but  any  thing  was  better  than  suffering 
them  to  go  adrift.  This  work  being  finished  at  ten  p.m.,  the 
people  were  allowed  three  hours'  rest  only,  it  being  necessary 
to  heave  the  ship  down  at  or  near  high  water,  as  there  was  not 
sufficient  depth  to  allow  her  to  take  her  distance  at  any  other 
time  of  tide.  Every  preparation  being  made,  at  three  a.m. 
on  the  ISth,  we  began  to  heave  her  down  on  the  larboard  sidfc; 
but  when  the  purchases  were  nearly  a-block,  we  found  that  the 
strops  under  the  Hecla's  bottom,  as  well  as  some  of  the  Fury's 
shore-fasts,  had  stretclicd  or  yielded  so  much,  that  they  could 
not  bring  the  keel  out  of  water  within  three  or  four  feet.  We 
immediately  eased  her  up  again,  and  re-adjusted  everything 
as  requisite,  hauling  her  farther  inshore  than  before  by  keep- 
ing a  considerable  heel  upon  her,  so  as  to  make  less  depth  of 
water  necessary;  and  we  were  then  in  the  act  of  once  more 


W' 


or  A  NORTH-WEST  PASSAGE. 


Ul 


heaving  her  down,  when  a  snow  storm  came  on  and  blew  with 
such  violence  off  the  lAnd,  as  to  raise  a  considerable  sea.  The 
ships  had  now  so  much  motiotr  as  to  strain  the  geer  very 
much,  and  even  to  make  the  lower  masts  of  the  Fury  bend  in 
spite  of  the  shores;  we  were,  therefore,  most  unwillingly 
compelled  to  desist  until  the  sea  should  go  down,  keeping 
everything  ready  to  recommence  the  instant  we  could  possi- 
bly do  so  with  safety.  Tlie  officers  and  men  were  now  liter- 
ally so  harrassed  and  fatigued  as  to  be  scarcely  capable  of  fur- 
ther exertion  without  some  rest;  and  on  this  and  one  or  two 
other  occasions,  I  noticed  more  than  a  single  instance  of  stu- 
por amounting  to  a  certsdn  degree  of  failure  in  intellect,  ren- 
dering the  individual  so  affected  quite  unable  at  first  to  com- 
prehend the  meaning  of  an  order,  though  still  as  willing  as 
ever  to  obey  it.  It  was  therefore  perhaps  a  fortunate  necessity 
which  produced  the  intermission  of  labour  which  the  strength 
of  every  individual  seemed  to  require. 

The  gale  rather  increasing  than  otherwise  during  the  whole 
day  and  night  of  the  18th,  had  on  the  following  morning,  when 
the  wind  and  sea  still  continued  unabated,  so  destroyed  the 
bergs  on  which  our  sole  dependence  was  placed,  that  they  no 
longer  remained  aground  at  low  water;  the  cables  had  again 
become  slack  about  them,  and  the  basin  we  had  taken  so  much 
pains  in  forming  had  now  lost  all  its  defences,  at  least  during 
a  portion  of  every  tide.  It  will  be  plain  too,  if  I  have  succeed- 
ed in  giving  a  distinct  description  of  our  situation,  that,  inde- 
pendently of  the  security  of  the  ships,  there  was  now  nothing 
left  to  sea-ward  by  which  the  Hecla  could  be  held  out  in  thft 
direction  while  heaving  the  Fury  down,  so  that  our  preparations 
in  this  way  were  no  longer  available.  After  a  night  of  most 
anxious  consideration  and  consultation  with  Captain  Hoppner, 
who  was  now  my  messmate  in  the  Hecla,  it  appeared  but  too 
plain,  that,  should  the  ice  again  come  in,  neither  ship  could 
any  longer  be  secured  from  driving  on  shore.  It  was  there- 
fore determined  instantly  to  prepare  the  Hecla  for  sea,  making 
her  thoroughly  effective  in  every  respect;  so  that  we  might  at 


16 


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122 


THIRD  VOYAGE   FOR   TUB   DiSCOVERr 


least  push  her  out  into  comparative  safety  among  the  ice,  when 
it  closed  again,  taking  every  person  onlioard  her,  securing  the 
Fury  in  the  best  manner  we' could,  and  returning  to  her  the 
instant  we  were  able  to  do  so.  to  endeavour  to  get  her  out, 
and  to  carry  her  to  some  place  of  security  for  heaving  down. 
If,  after  the  Hecla  was  ready,  time  should  still  be  allowed  us, 
it  was  proposed  immediately  to  put  into  the  Fury  all  that  was 
requisite,  or  at  least  as  much  as  she  could  safely  carry,  and 
towing  her  out  into  the  ice,  to  try  the  effect  of  "  foddering" 
the  leaks  by  sails  under  those  parts  of  her  keel  which  we  knew 
to  be  damaged,  until  some  more  effectual  means  could  be  re- 
sorted to. 

Having  communicated  to  the  assembled  officers  and  ships' 
companies  my  views  and  intentions,  and  moreover  given  them 
to  understand  that  I  hoped  to  see  the  Hecla's  topgallant-yards 
across  before  we  slept,  we  commenced  our  work;  and  such 
was  the  hearty  good-will  and  indefatigable  energy  with  which 
it  was  carried  on,  that  by  midnight  the  whole  was  accomplish- 
ed, and  a  bower-anchor  and  cable  carried  out  in  the  offing,  for 
the  double  purpose  of  hauling  out  the  Hecla  when  requisite, 
and  as  some  security  to  the  Fury  if  we  were  obliged  to  leave 
her.  The  people  were  once  more  quite  exhausted  by  these 
exertions,  especially  those  belonging  to  the  Fury,  who  had 
never  thoroughly  recovered  their  first  fatigues.  The  ice  being 
barely  in  sight,  we  were  enabled  to  enjoy  seven  hours  of  un- 
disturbed rest;  but  the  wind  becoming  lights  and  afterwards 
shifting  to  the  N.N.E.,  we  had  reaaon.to  expect  the  ice  would 
8§on  close  the  shore,  and  were,  therefore,  most  anxious  to  con- 
tinue our  work.  "7'  -»   ^^        .      ■  v.;  if 

On  the  20th,  therefore,  the  re-loading  of  the  Fury  com- 
menced with  recruited  strength  and  spirits,  such  articles  being  in 
the  first  place  selected  forputtingon  board  as  were  essentially  re- 
quisite for  her  re-equipment;  for  it  wasmyrfiill  determination, 
could  we  succeed  in  completing  this,  not  to  wait  even  for  rigging 
a  topmast,  or  getting  a  lower  yard  up,  in  the  event  of  the  ice 
coming  in,  but  to  tow  her  out  among  the  ice,  and  there  put 


OF   A. NORTH-WEST   Pi^SSAGC. 


123 


.'» 


everything  sufficiently  to  rights  for  carrying  her  to  some 
place  of  security.     At  the  same  time,  the  end  of  the  sea-cable 
was  taken  on  board  the  Fury,  by  way  of  offering  some  resist- 
ance to  the  ice,  which  was  now  more  plainly  seen,  though  still 
about  five  miles  distant.     A  few  hands  were  also  spared,  con- 
sisting chiefly  of  two  or  three  convalescents,  and  some  of  the 
officers,  to  thrum  a  sail  for  putting  under  the  Fury*s  keel;  for 
we  were  very  anxious  to  relieve  the  men  at  the  pumps,  which 
constantly  required  the  labour  of  eight  to  twelve  hands  to 
keep  her  free.     In  the  course  of  the  day  several  heavy  masses 
of  ice  came  drifting  by  with  a  breeze  from  the  N.E.,  which  is 
here  about  two  points  upon  the  land,  and  made  a  considerable 
swell.     One  mass  came  in  contact  with  our  bergs,  which, 
though  only  held  by  the  cables,  brought  it  up  in  time  to  pre- 
vent mischief.     By  a  long  and  hard  day's  labour,  the  people 
not  going  to  rest  till  two  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  21st, 
we  got  about  fifty  tons'  weight  of  coals  and  provisions  on  board 
the  Fury,  which,  in  case  of  necessity,  we  considered  sufficient 
to  give  her  stability.     While  we  were  thus  employed,  the  ice, 
though  evidently  inclined  to  come  in,   did  not  approach  us 
much;  and  it  may  be  conceived  with  what  anxiety  we  longed 
to  be  allowed  one  more  day's  labour,  on  which  the  ultimate 
saving  of  the  ship  might  almost  be  considered  as  depending. 
Having  hauled  the  ships  out  a  little  from  the  shore,  and  pre- 
pared the  Hecla  for  casting  by  a  spring  at  a  moment's  notice, 
all  the  people  except  those  at  the  pumps  were  sent  to  rest, 
which,  however,  they  had  not  enjoyed  for  two  hours,  when 
at  four  A.M.  on  the  21st,  another  heavy  mass  coming  violently 
in  contact  with  the  bergs  and  cables,  threatened  to  sweep 
away  every  remaining  security.     Our  situation  with  this  addi 
tional  strain,  the  mass  which  had  disturbed  us  fixing  itself 
upon  the  weather-cable,  and  an  increasing  wind  and  swell  set- 
ting considerably  on  the  shore,  became  more  and  more  preca- 
rious; and  indeed,  under  circumstances  as  critical  as  can  well 
be  imagined,  nothing  but  the  urgency  and  importance  of  the 
object  we  had  in  view — that  of  saving  the  Fury  if  she  was  to 


« 


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THIRD  Vq^Atifi   FOH  THE  D^SCOVEUY 


be  saved — could  have  prevented  my  making  sail,  and  keeping 
the  Hecla  under  way  till  matters  mended.     More  hawsers 
were  run  out,  however,  and  enabled  us  still  to  hold  on;  and 
after  six  houi-s  of  disturbed  rest,  all  hands  were  again  set  to 
work  to  get  the  Fury's  anchors,  cables,  rudder,  aijd  spars  on 
board,  these  things  being  absolutely  necessary  for  her  equip- 
ment, should  we  be  able  to  get  her  out     At  two  p.m.  the 
crews  were  called  on  board  to  dinner,  which  they  had  not 
finished,  when  several  not  very  large  masses  of  ice  drove 
along  the  shore  near  us  at  a.  quick  rate,  and  two  or  three  succes- 
sively coming  in  violent  contact  either  with  the  Hecla  or  the 
bergs  to  which  she  was  attached,  convinced  me  that  very  little 
additional  pressure  would  tear  everything  away,  and  drive 
both  ships  on  shore.     I  saw  that  the  moment  had  arrived  when 
the  Hecla  could  no  longer  be  kept  in  her  present  situation  with 
the  smallest  chance  of  safety,  and  therefore  immediately  got 
under  sail,  despatching  Captain  Hoppner  with  every  indi- 
vidual except  a  few  for  working  the  ship,  to  continue  getting 
the  things  on  board  the  Fury,  while  the  Hecla  stood  off  and 
on.     It  was  a  quarter  past  three  p.m.  when  we  cast  off,  the 
wind  then  blowing  fresh  from  the  north-east,  or  about  two 
points  upon  the  land,  which  caused  some  surf  on  the  beach. 
Captain  Hoppner  had  scarcely  been  an  hour  on  board  the  Fu- 
ry, and  was  busily  engaged  in  getting  the  anchors  and  cables 
on  board,  when,  we  observed  some  large  pieces  of  not  very 
heavy  ice  closing  in  with  the  land  near  her;  and  at  twenty 
minutes  past  four  P.M.,  being  an  hour  and  five  minutes  after 
the  Hecla  had  cast  off,  I  was  informed  by  signal  that  the  Fury 
was  on  shore.     Making  a  tack  inshore,  but  not  being  able, 
even  under  a  press  of  canvass,  to  get  very  near  her,  owing  to 
a  strong  southerly  current  which  prevailed  within  a  mile  or 
two  of  the  land,  I  perceived  that  she  had  been  apparently 
driven  up  the  beach  by  two  or  tliree  of  the  grounded  masses 
■forcing  her  onwards  before  them,  and  these,  as  well  as  the 
ship,  seemed  now  so  firmly  aground  as  entii^ly  to  block  her 
in  on  the  sea-ward  side.     We  also  observed  that  the  bergs 


■r- 


Vd\  1 


.""■il^i 


OF.  A  KORTH-W£ST   FASSAOS. 


125 


outside  of  her,  marked /and  ^  in  the  diagram,  had  been  torn 
away  and  set  adrift  by  the  ice.  As  the  navigating  of  the 
Hecla  with  only  ten  men  on  board  required  constant  attention 
and  care,  I  could  not  at  this  time  with  propriety  leave  the 
ship  to  go  on  board  the  Fury.  This,  however,  I  the  less  re- 
gretted, as  Captain  Hoppner  was  thoroughly  acquainted  with 
all  my  views  and  intentions,  and  I  felt  confident  that,  under 
his  direction,  nothing  would  be  left  undone  to  endeavour  to 
save  the  ship.  I,  therefore,  directed  him  by  teleg^ph,  "if 
he  thought  nothing  could  be  done  at  present,  to  return  on  board 
with  all  hands  until  the  wind  changed;"  for  this  alone,  as  far 
as  I  could  see  the  state  of  the  Fury,  seemed  to  offer  the  small- 
est chance  of  clearing  the  shore,  so  as  to  enable  us  to  proceed 
with  our  work,  or  to  attempt  hauling  the  ship  off  the  ground. 
About  seven  p.m.  Captain  Hoppner  returned  to  the  Hecla,-  ac- 
companied by  all  hands,  except  an  gflicer  with  a  party  at  the 
pumps,  reporting  to  me  that  the  Fury  had  been  forced  aground 
by  the  ice  pressihg  on  the  masses  lying  near  her,  and  bringing 
hovae,  if  not  breaking,  the  sea-ward  anchor,  so  that  the  ship 
was  soon  found  to  have  sewed  from  two  to  three  feet  fore  and 
aft  The  several  masses  of  ice  had  moreover  so  disposed  them- 
selves, as  shewn  in  the  annexed  figure,  afe  almost  to  surround 
her  on  every  side  where  there  was  sufficient  depth  of  water 
for  hauling  her  off.  i    i-;  ^. 


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THIRD    VOYAGE    FOR    THE    DISCOVERY 


With  the  ship  thus  situated,  and  masses  of  heavy  ice  con- 
stantly coming  in,"  it  was  Captain  Hoppner's  decided  opinion, 
as  well  as  that  of  Lieutenants  Austin  and  Ross,  that  to  have 
laid  out  another  anchor  to  sea-ward  would  have  only  been  to 
expose  it  to  the  same  damage  as  there  was  reason  to  suppose 
had  been  incurred  with  the  other,  without  the  most  distant 
hope  of  doing  any  service;  especially  as  the  ship  had  been  driv- 
en on  sl^Jre,  by  a  most  unfortunate  coincidence,  just  as  the 
tide  was  beginning  to  fall.  Indeed,  in  the  present  state  of  the 
Fury,  nothing  short  of  chopping  ^nd  sawing  up  a  part  of  the 
ice  under  her  stern,  could  by  any  possibility  have  effected- her 
release,  even  if  she  had  been  already  afloat.  Under  such  cir- 
cumstances, hopeless  as  for  the  time  every  seaman  will  admit 
them  to  have  been.  Captain  Hoppner  judiciously  determined 
to  return  for  the  present,  as  directed  by  my  telegraphic  com- 
munication; but  being  anxious  to  keep  the  ship  free  from  wa- 
ter as  long  as  possible,  he  left  an  officer  and  a  small  party  of 
men  to  continue  working  at  the  pumps  so  long  as  a  communi- 
cation could  be  kept  up  between  the  Hecla  and  the  shora 
Every  moment,  however,  decreased  the  practicability  of  doing 
this;  and  finding,  soon  after  Captain  Hoppner's  return,  that 
the  current  swept  the  Hecla  a  long  way  to  the  southward 
vvhile  hoisting  up  the  boats,  and  that  more  ice  was  drifting  in 
towards  the  shore,  I  was  under  the  painful  necessity  of  recall- 
ing the  party  at  the  pumps,  rathei  in&n  incur  the  risk,  now  an 
inevitable  one,  of  parting  company  with  them  altogether.  Ac- 
cordingly Mr.  Bird  with  the  last  of  the  people  canre  on  board 
at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  having  left  eighteen  inches 
water  in  the  well,  and  four  pumps  being  requisite  to  keep  her 
free.  In  three  hours  after  Mr.  Bird's  return,  more  than  half 
a  mile  of  closely  packed  ice  intervened  between  the  Fury  and 
the  open  water  in  which  we  were  beating,  and  before  the 
morning  this  barrier  had  increased  to  four  or  five  miles  in 
breadth. 

We  carried  a  press  of  canvas  all  night,  with  a  fresh  breeze 
from  the  north,  to  enable  us  to  keep  abreast  of  the  Fury, 


i    . 


itnAjji^'^i:  .  '.jt^tm 


t 


OP   A  NORTH-WEST   PASSAGE. 


187 


which,  on  account  of  the  strong  southerly  current,  we  could 
only  do  by  beating  at  some  distance  from  the  land.  The 
breadth  of  the  ice  inshore  continued  increasing  during  the 
day,  but  we  could  see  no  end  to  the  water  in  which  we  were 
beating,  either  to  the  southward  or  eastward.  Advantage  was 
taken  of  the  little  leisure  now  allowed  us,  to  let  the  people 
mend  and  wash  their  clothes,  which  they  had  scarcely  had  a 
moment  to  do  for  the  last  three  weeks.  We  also  completed 
the  thrumming  of  a  second  i4dl  for  putting  under  the  Fury's 
keel,  whenever  we  should  be  enabled  to  haul  her  off  the  shore. 
It  fell  quite  calm  in  the  evening,  when  the  breadth  of  the  ice 
inshore  had  increased  to  six  or  seven  miles.  We  did  not, 
during  the  day,  perceive  any  current  setting  to  the  south- 
ward, but  in  the  course  of  the  night  we  were  drifted  four  or 
five  leagues  to  the  south-westward,  in  which  situation  we  had 
a  distinct  view  of  a  large  extent  of  land  which  had  before 
been  seen  for  the  first  time  by  some  of  our  gentlemen  who 
walked  from  where  the  Fury  lay.  This  land  trends  very  much 
to  the  westward,  ,a  little  beyond  the  Fury  Point,  the  name 
by  which  I  have  distinguished  that  headland  near  which  we 
had  attempted  to  heave  the  Fury  down,,  and  which  is  very 
near  the  southern  part  of  thre  coast  seen  in  the  year  1819.  It 
then  sweeps  round  into  a  large  bay  formed  by  a  long,  low 
beach  several  miles  in  extent,  afterwards  joining  higher  land, 
and  running  in  a  south-easterly  direction  tc  a  point  which  ter- 
minated our  view  of  it  in  that  quarter,  and  which  bore  from 
us  S.  58°  W.  distant  six  or  Seven  leagues.  This  headland  1 
named  Cape  Garry,  after  my  worthy  friend  Nicholas  Gar- 
ry, Esq.,  one  of  the  most  active  members  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  and  a  gentleman  most  warmly  interested  in  every- 
thing connected  with  northern  discovery.  The  whole  of  the 
bay,  (which  I  named  after  my  much  esteemed  friend,  Fran- 
cis Creswell,  Esq.,)  as  well  as  tlie  land  to  the  southward, 
was  free  from  ice  for  several  miles,  and  to  the  southward  and 
eastward  scarcely  any  was  to  be  seen,  while  a  dark  water- 
sky  indicated  a  perfectly  navigable  sea  in  that  direction;  but 


4 


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123 


T1IIR9  VOYAGE   FOR  TBS  DISCOVXRY      ^ 


between  us  and  the  Fury  there  was  a  compact  body  of  ice 
eight  or  nine  miles  in  breadth.  Had  we  now  been  at  liberty 
to  take  advantage  of  the  favourable  prospect  before  us,  1  have 
little  doubt  we  should  without  much  di^culty  have  made  con- 
siderable progress. 

A  southerly  breeze  enabling  us  to  regain  our  northing,  we 
ran  along  the  margin  of  the  ice;  but  were  led  so  much  to  the 
eastward  by  it,  that  we  could  approach  the  ship  no  nearer 
than  before  during  the  whole  daf.     She  appeared  to  us  at  this 
distance  to  have  a  much  greater  heel  than  when  the  people  left 
her,  which  made  us  still  more  anxious  to  get  near  her.  A  south- 
west wind  gave  us  hopes  of  the  ice  setting  off  from  the  land, 
but  it  produced  no  good  effect  during  the  whole  of  the  24th. 
'We,  therefore,  beat  again  to  the  southward,  to  see  if  we 
could  manage  to  get  in  with  the  land  anywhere  about  the 
shores  of  the  bay;  but  this  was  now  impracticable,  the  ice 
being  once  more  closely  packed  there.     We  could  only  wait, 
therefore,  in  patff  noe,  for  some  alteration  in  our  favour.     The 
latitu4e  at  noon   v/as  72°  34'  57",  making  .our  distance  from 
the  Fury  twelve  miles,  which  by  the  following  morning  had 
increased  to  at  least  five  leagues,  the  ice  continuing  to  <<  pack" 
between  us  and  the  shore.  The  v^nd,  however,  now  gradual- 
ly drew  round  to  the  westward,  giving  us  hopes  of  a  change, 
and  we  continued  to  ply  about  the  margin  of  the  ice,  in  con- 
stant readiness  for  takiqg  advantage  of  any  opening  that  might 
occur.      It  favoured  us  so  much  by  streaming  off  in  the 
course  of  the  day,  that  by  seven  p.m.  we  had  nearly  reached  a 
channel  of  clear  water  which  kept  open  for  seven  or  eight 
miles  from  the  land.    Being  impalient  to  obtain  a  sight  of  the 
Fury,  and  the  wind  becoming  light.  Captain  Hoppner  and 
myself  left  the  Hecla  in  two  boats,  and  reached  the  ship  at 
half-past  nine,  or  about  three-quarters  of  ap  hour  before  high 
water,  being  the  most  favourable  time  of  tide  for  arriving  to 
examine  her  condition. 

We  found  her  heeling  so  much  outward,  that  her  main  chan- 
nels were  within  a  foot  of  the  water;  and  the  large  flbe-piece 


•-!'p>mmm» 


0 


:«. 


OP   A    NOHTH-WEST   PA«SAO£. 


129 


I chan- 


(in  the  diagram,  p.  125,  marked  a),  which  was  still  alongside 
of  her,  seemed  alone  to  support  her  below  water,  and  to  pre- 
vent her  falling  over  still  more  considerably.  The  ship  had 
been  forced  much  farther  up  the  beach  than  before,  and  she  had 
now  in  her  bilge  above  nine  feet  of  water,  which  reached 
higher  than  the  lower-deck  beams.  On  looking  down  the  stern- 
post,  which,  seen  against  the  light-coloured  ground,  and  in 
shoal  ^"  iter,  was  now  very  distinctly  visible,  we  found  that 
she  had  pushed  the  stones  at  the  bottom  up  before  her,  and 
that  the  broken  keel,  stern-post,  and  dead-wood  had,  by  the 
recent  pressure,  been  more  damaged  and  turned  up  than  be- 
fore. She  appeared  principally  to  hang  upon  the  ground  abreast 
the  gangway,  where,  at  high  water,  the  depth  was  eleven  feet 
alongside  her  keel;  forward  and  aft  from  thirteen  to  sixteen 
feet;  so  that  at  low-tide,  allowing  the  usual  fall  of  five  or  six 
feet,  she  would  be  lying  in  a  depth  of  from  five  to  ten  feet  only. 
The  first  hour's  inspection  of  the  Fury's  condition  too  plainly 
assured  me  that  exposed  as  she  was,  and  forcibly  pressed  up 
upon  an  open  and  stony  beach,  her  holds  fi!^l  of  water,  and  the 
damage  of  her  hull  to  all  appearance  and  in  all  probability 
more  considerable  than  before,  without  any  adequate  means  of 
hauling  her  off  to  seaward,  or  securing  her  from  the  further 
incursions  of  the  ice,  every  endeavour  of  ours  to  get  her  offi 
or  if  got  off,  to  float  her  to  any  known  place  of  safety,  would 
be  at  once  utterly  hopeless  in  itself,  and  productive  of  extreme 
risk  to  our  remaining  ship. 

Being  anxious,  however,  in  a  case  of  so  much  importatce, 
to  avail  myself  of  the  judgment  and  experience  of  others,  J  di- 
rected Captain  Hoppner,  in  conjunction  with  Lieutenants  Aus-  . 
tin  and  Sherer,  and  JMr.  Pulfer,  carpenter,  being  the  officers 
who  accompanied  me  to  the  Fury,  to  hold  a  survey  upon  her, 
and  to  report  their  opinions  to  me.  And  to  prevent  the  possi- 
bility of  the  officers  receiving  any  bias  from  my  own  opinion, 
the  order  was  given  to  them  the  moment  we  arrived  on  board 
the  Fury. 

Captain  Hoppner  and  the  other  officers,  after  spending  seve- 

17 


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130 


THIKU    VOYAGE    FOR   THE    DlSCOVEKy 


ral  hours  in  attentively  examining  every  part  of  the  ship,  botli 
within  and  without,  and  maturely  weighing  all  the  circum- 
stances of  her  situation,  gave  it  as  their  opinion  that  it  would 
be  quite  impracticable  to  make  her  sea-worthy,  even  if  she 
could  be  hauled  off,  which  would  first  require  the  water  to  be 
got  out  of  the  ship,  and  the  holds  to  be  once  more  entirely 
cleared.  Mr.  Pulfer,  the  carpenter  of  the  Fury,  considered 
that  it  would  occupy  five  days  to  clear  the  ship  of  water;  that 
if  she  were  got  off,  all  the  pumps  would  not  be  sufficient  to 
keep  her  free,  in  consequence  of  the  additional  damage  she 
seemed  to  have  sustained;  and  that,  if  even  hove  down,  twenty 
days'  work,  with  the  means  we  possessed,  would  be  required 
for  making  her  sea-worthy.  Captain  Hoppner,  and  the  other 
officers,  were,  therefore,  of  opinion,  that  an  absolute  necessity 
existed  for  abandoning  the  Fury.  My  own  opinion  being  thus 
confirmed  as  to  the  utter  hopelessness  of  saving  her,  and  feel- 
ing more  strongly  than  ever  the  responsibility  which  attached 
to  me  of  preserving  the  Hecla  unhurt,  it  was  with  extreme 
pain  and  regret  thsij^  I  made  the  signal  for  the  Fury's  officers 
and  men  to  be  sent  for  their  clothes,  most  of  which  had  been 
put  on  shore  with  the  stores.  * 

The  Hecla's  bower-anchor,  which  had  been  placed  on  the 
beach,  was  sent  on  board  as  soon  as  the  people  came  on  shore; 
but  her  remaining  cable  was  too  much  entangled  with  the 
grounded  ice  to  be  disengaged  without  great  loss  of  time.  Hav- 
ing allowed  the  officers  and  men  an  hour  for  packing  up  their 
clothes,  and  what  else  belonging  to  them  the  water  in  the  ship 
had  not  covered,  the  Fury's  boats  were  hauled  up  on  the  beach, 
and  at  two  a.  m.  I  left  her,  and  was  followed  by  Captain  Hopp- 
ner, Lieutenant  Austin,  and  the  last  of  the  people  in  half  an 
hour  after. 

Th(;  whole  of  the  Fury's  stores  were  of  necessity  left  either 
on  board  her  or  on  shore,  every  spare  corner  that  we  could 

•  The  wpilten  reports  antl  opinions  of  Captain  Hoppner,  ihe  two  lieu- 
tenants, and  the  carpenter,  are  inserted  in  this  part  of  my  original  Journal, 
lod|ired  at  the  Admindtyi  but  it  has  not  been  coniidered  neceiMiy  to  print 
them  in  detail. 


-it, 


of   A   NORTH-WEST   PASSAGE. 


131 


find  in  the  Hecla  being  now  absolutely  required  for  the  accom- 
modation of  our  double  complement  of  officers  and  men,  whose 
cleanliness  and  health  could  only  be  hiaintained  by  keeping 
the  decks  as  clear  and  well  ventilated  as  our  limited  space 
would  permit.  The  spot  where  the  Fury  was  left  is  in  lati- 
tude 72°  42'  30";  the  longitude  by  chronometers  is  91°  50' 
05";  the  dip  of  the  magnetic  needle  88°  19',22;  and  the  vari- 
ation 129°  25'  Westerly.  • 

When  the  accident  first  happened  to  the  Fury,  I  confidently 
expected  to  have  been  able  to  repair  her  damages,  in  good 
time  to  take  advantage  of  a  large  remaining  part  of  the  navi- 
gable season  in  the  prosecution  of  the  voyage;  and  while  the 
clearing  of  the  ship  was  going  on  with  so  much  alacrity,  and 
the  repairs  seemed  to  be  within  the  reach  of  our  means  and 
resources,  I  still  flattered  myself  with  the  same  hope.  But  as 
soon  as  the  gales  began  to  destroy,  with  a  rapidity  of  which 
we  had  before  no  conception,  our  sole  defence  from  the  incur- 
sions of  the  ice,  as  well  as  the  only  trust-worthy  means  we 
before  possessed  of  holding  the  Hecla  out  for  heaving  the  Fury 
down,  I  confess  that  the  prospect  of  the  necessity  then  likely 
to  arise  for  removing  her  to  some  other  station,  was  sufficient 
to  shake  every  reasonable  expectation  that  I  had  hitherto  che- 
rished of  the  ultimate  accomplishment  of  our  object.  Those 
expectations  were  now  at  an  end.  With  a  twelvemonth's 
provision  for  both  ships'  companies,  extending  our  resources 
only  to  the  autumn  of  the  following  year,  it  would  have  been 
folly  to  hope  for  final  success,  considering  the  small  progress 
we  had  already  made,  the  uncertain  nature  of  this  navigation^ 
and  the  advanced  period  of  the  present  season.  I  was,  there- 
fore reduced  to  the  only  remaining  conclusion,  that  it  was  my 
duty,  under  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  to  return  to 
England,  in  compliance  with  the  plain  tenor  of  my  instruc- 
tions. As  soon  as  the  boats  W(  re  hoisted  up,  therefore,  and 
the  anchor  stowed,  the  ship's  head  was  put  to  the  north-east- 
ward, with  a  light  air  oflf  the  land,  in  order  to  gain  an  offing 
before  the  ice  should  again  set  inshore. 


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132  THIRD   VOYAGE   FOR   THE   DISCOVERY 


I' 


« 


CHAPTER  VII.  .        1^     .V 

SOME  REMARKS  UPON  THE  LOSS  OF  THE  FURY — AND  ON  THE 
NATURAL  HISTORY,  &C.  OP  THE  COAST  OP  NORTH  SOMER- 
SET— ARRIVE  AT  NEILl's  HARBOUR — DEATH  OF  JOHN  PAGE 
— LEAVE    NEILl's    HARBOUR RE-CROSS    THE    ICE    IN    BAF- 

•      pin's  BAY — HEAVY  GALES AURORA  BOREALIS — TEMPERA- 

TURE    OF    THE    SEA ARRIVAL    IN    ENGLAND CONCLUDING 

REMARKS  ON  SOME  NATURAL  PHENOMENA  PECULIAR  TO  THE 

POLAR    SEAS ON    THE    DISCOVERIES    OP    THE    OLD    BRITISH 

NAVIGATORS AND  ON  THE  NORTH-WEST  PASSAGE. 

The  accident  which  had  now  befallen  the  Fury,  and  which, 
when  its  fatal  result  was  finally  ascertained,  at  once  put  an  end 
to  every  prospect  of  success  in  the  main  object  of  this  voyage, 
is  not  an  event  which  will  excite  surprise  in  the  minds  of  those 
who  are  either  personally  acquainted  with  the  true  nature  of 
this  precarious  navigation,  or  have  had  patience  to  follow  me 
through  the  tedious  and  monotonous  detail  of  our  operations 
during  seven  successive  summers.  To  any  persons  thus  quali- 
fied to  judge,  it  will  be  plain  that  an  occurrence  of  this  nature 
was  at  all  times  rather  to  be  expc^pted  than  otherwise,  and  that 
the  only  real  cause  for  wonder  has  been  our  long  exemption 
from  such  a  catastrophe  I  can  confidently  affirm,  and  I  trust 
that,  on  such  an  occasion,  I  may  be  permitted  to  make  the  re- 
mark, that  the  mere  safety  of  the  ships  has  never  been  more 
than  a  secondary  object  in  the  conduct  of  the  expeditions  un- 
der my  command.  To  push  forward  while  there  was  any  open 
water  to  enable  us  to  do  so,  has  uniformly  been  our  first  en- 
deavour; it  has  not  been  until  the  channel  has  actually  termi- 
nated, that  we  have  ever  been  accustomed  to  look  for  a  ph.ce 
of  shelter,  to  which  tlMp  ships  were  then  conducted  with  all 
possible  despatch:  and  »  may  safely  venture  to  predict  that 
no  ship  acting  otherwise  will  ever  accomplish  the  North-west 
Passage.     On  numerous  occasions,  which  will  easily  recur  to 


i^":^"-";  ■■ "  '^■^"^■■,*-  "■ 


OP   A   NORTH-WEST  PASSAGE. 


133 


the  memory  of  thost  I  have  had  the  honour  to  command,  the 
ships  might  easily  have  been  placed  among  the  ice,  and  left  to 
drift  with  it,  in  comparative,  if  not  absolute  security,  when 
the  holding  them  on  has  been  preferred,  though  attended  with 
hourly  and  imminent  peril.  This  was  precisely  the  case  on 
the  present  occasion;  the  ships  might  certainly  have  been 
pushed  into  the  ice  a  day  or  two,  or  even  a  week  before-hand, 
and  thus  preserved  from  all  risk  of  being  forced  on  shore;  but 
where  they  would  have  been  drifted,  and  when  they  would 
have  been  again  disengaged  from  the  ice,  or  at  liberty  to  take 
advantage  of  the  occasional  openings  inshore,  (by  which  alone 
the  navigation  of  these  seas  is  to  be  performed  with  any  de- 
gree of  certainty)  I  believe  it  impossible  for  any  one  to  form 
the  most  distant  idea.  Such,  then,  being  the  necessity  for 
constant  and  unavoidable  risk,  it  cannot  reasonably  excite  sur- 
prise, that,  on  a  single  occasion,  out  of  so  many  in  which  the 
same  accident  seemed,  as  it  were,  impending,  it  should  actu- 
ally have  taken  place.  ,         ^.j 

These  remarks  I  conceive  to  be  the  more  necessary,  because 
I  believe  that  our  former  successes  in  this  navigation,  and  our 
entire  exemption  from  serious  damage,  had  served  to  beget  a 
very  general,  but  erroneous  notion,  that  our  ships  were  proof 
against  any  pressure  to  which  they  might  be  subject.  This 
belief  extended  even  in  a  certain  degree  to  those  employed  on 
this  service,  who  almost  began  to  consider  our  ships  as  invul- 
nerable; and,  fjr  my  own  part,  I  confess  that,  thou^Ii  a  mo- 
ment's reflection  would  at  any  time  contradict  such  a  notion, 
I  often  experienced  a  feeling  of  confidence  in  their  strength 
too  nearly  approaching  to  presumption.  We  have  now  learn- 
ed by  experience  that  a  body  of  ice  of  no  very  heavy  kind, 
when  bearing  in  a  particular  manner,  and  with  its  whole  force, 
upon  a  ship  touching  the  ground,  is  quite  sufficient  to  set  every 
combination  of  wood  and  iron  at  defiance,  even  when  disposed, 
as  in  the  Fury  and  Hecla,  with  all  the  skill  and  strength  which 
art  can  suggest.  In  truth,  a  ship,  like  any  other  work  of  man, 
sinks,  and  must  ever  sink,  into  insignificance,  when  viewed 


11 


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134 


THIRD   VOYAG£   FOR  THE   DISCOVERT 


in  comparison  with  the  stupendous  scale  on  which  Nature's 
works  are  framed,  and  her  operations  performed;  and  a  vessel 
of  whatever  magnitude,  or  whatever  strength,  is  little  better 
than  a  nut-shell,  when  obliged  to  withstand  the  pressure  of  the 
unyielding  ground  on  one  side,  and  a  moving  body  of  ice  on 
the  other. 

These  truths,  however  well  I  might  have  been  before  aware 
of  them,  it  would  not  have  become  me  to  touch  upon,  under 
almost  any  other  circumstances  than  those  I  have  now  detailed. 
On  no  other  occasion,  indeed,  should  I  have  considered  it 
either  necessary  or  justifiable  to  dwell  even  for  a  moment  upon 
them.  I  have  done  so  now  with  the  hope  of  shewing  that, 
while  we  trust  it  will  appear  that  our  own  endeavours  have 
never  been  wanting  to  preserve,  as  far  as  was  consistent  with 
our  duty,  the  ships  committed  to  our  charge,  we  also  feel  and 
acknowledge  that  it  has  not  been  "our  own  arm,"  nor  "our 
own  strength,"  to  which  we  have  so  long  owed  their  preser- 
vation; 

The  ice  we  met  with  after  leaving  Port  Bowen,  previously 
to  the  Fury's  disaster,  and  for  some  days  after,  I  consider  to 
have  been  much  the  lightest  as  well  as  the  most  broken  we 
have  ever  had  to  contend  with.  During  the  time  we  were  shut 
up  at  our  last  station  near  the  Fury,  one  or  two  floes  of  very 
large  dimensions  drifted  past  us;  and  these  were  of  that  heavy 
"hummocky"  kind  which  we  saw  off  Cape  Kater  in  the  be- 
ginning of  August,  1819.     On  the  whole,  however,  Mr.  Alli- 
son and  myself  had  constant  occasion  to  remark  the  total  ab- 
sence of  floes,  and  the  unusual  lightness  of  the  other  ice.  We 
thought,  indeed,  that  this  latter  circumstance  might  account 
for  its  being  almost  incessantly  in  motion  on  this  coast;  for 
heavy  ice,  when  once  it  is  pressed  home  upon  the  shore,  and 
has  ceased  to  move,  generally  remains  quiet  until  a  change  of 
wind  or  tide  makes  it  slacken.    But  with  lighter  ii.c,  the  fre- 
quent breaking  and  doubling  of  the  parts  which  sustain  the 
strain,  whenever  any  increase  of  pressure  takes  place,  will  set 
the  whole  body  once  more  in  motion  till  the  space  is  again 


A 


i 


OP    A    NORTH-WEST   PASSAGE. 


135 


filled  up.  This  was  so  often  the  case  while  our  ships  lay  in  the 
most  exposed  situations  on  this -unsheltered  coast,  that  we  were 
never  relieved  for  a  moment  from  the  apprehension  of  some 
new  and  increased  pressure. 

The  summer  of  1825  was,  beyond  all  doubt,  the  warmest 
and  most  favourable  we  had  experienced  since  thatpf  1818. 
Not  more  than  two  or  three  days  occurred,  during  the  months 
of  July  and  August,  in  which  that  heavy  fall  of  snow  took 
place  which  so  commonly  converts  the  aspect  of  nature  in  these 
regions,  in  a  single  hour,  from  the  cheerfulness  of  summer  into 
the  dreariness  of  winter.  Indeed,  we  experienced  very  little 
either  of  snow,  r»jn/  Pf^g>  vegetation,  wherever  the  soil  al- 
lowed jmytb  spring  up,  was  extremely  luxuriant  and  forward; 
a  great  deal  of  the  old  snow,  which  had  lain  on  the  ground  du- 
ring the  last  season,  was  rapidly  dissolving  even  early  in  Au- 
gust; and  every  appearance  of  nature  exhibited  a  striking  con- 
trast with  the  last  summer,  while  it  seemed  evidently  to  fur- 
nish an  extraordinary  compensation  for  its  rigour  and  incle- 
mency. •  4r 

We  have  scarcely  ever  visited  a  coast,  on  which  so  little  of 
animal  life  occurs.  For  days  together,  only  one  or  two  seals, 
a  single  sea-horse,  and  now  and  then  a  flock  of  ducks  were 
seen.  I  have  already  mentioned,  however,  as  an  exception  to 
this  scarcity  of  animals,  the  numberless  kittiwakes  which  were 
flying  about  the  remarkable  spout  of  water;  and  we  were  one 
day  visited,  at  the  place  wh  sre  the  Fury  was  left,  by  hun- 
dreds of  white  whales  sporting  about  in  the  shoal  water  close 
to  the  beach.  No  black  whales  were  ever  seen  on  this  coast. 
Two  rein-deer  were  observed  by  the  gentlemen  who  extended 
their  walks  inland;  but  this  was  the  only  summer  in  which  we 
did  not  procure  a  single  pound  of  venison.  Indeed,  the  whole 
of  our  supplies  obtained  in  this  way  during  the  voyage,  inclu- 
ding fish,  flesh,  and  fowl,  did  not  exceed  twenty  pounds  per 
man. 

During  the  time  that  we  were  made  fast  upon  this  coast,  in 
which  situation  alone  observations  on  current  can  be  satisfaf- 


m  \  I 


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$ 


\  ^^ 


136 


THIRD    VOYAGE    t'OK    THE    DISCOVERY 


torily  made,  it  is  certain  that  the  ice  was  setting  to  the  south- 
ward, and  sometimes  at  a  rapid  rate,  full  seven  days  out  of 
every  ten  on  an  average.     Had  I  now  witnessed  this  for  the 
first  time  in  these  seas,  I  should  probably  have  concluded  that 
there  was  a  constant  southerly  set  at  this  season;  but  the  expe- 
rience we  had  before  obtained  of  that  superficial  current  which 
every  breeze  of  wind  creates  in  a  sea  encumbered  with  ice, 
coupled  with  the  fact  that  while  this  set  was  noticed,  we  had 
an  almost  continual  prevalence  of  northerly  winds,  inclines 
me  to  believe  that  it  was  to  be  attributed,  chiefly  at  least,  to 
this  circumstance;  especially  as,  on  one  or  two  occasions,  with 
rather  a  light  breeze  from  the  southard,  the  ice  did  set  slow- 
ly in  the  opposite  direi:1|^.     It  is  not  by  a  few  unconnected 
observations  that  a  qufelmx^of  this  kind  is  to  be  settled,  as  the 
facts  noticed  during  our  detention  near  the  west  end  of  Mel- 
ville Island  in  1820  will  abundantly  testify;  every  light  air  of 
wind  producing,  in  half  an   hour's  time,  an  extraordinary 
change  of  current  setting  at  an  incredible  rate  along  the  land. 
The  existence  of  these  variable  and  irregular  currents  adds, 
of  course,  very  much  to  the  difficulty  of  determining  the  true 
direction  of  the  flood-tide,  the  latter  being  generally  much  the 
weaker  of  the  two,  and  therefore  either  wholly  counteracted 
by  the  current,  or  simply  tending  to  accelerate  it.     On  this 
account,  though  I  attended  very  carefully  to  the  subject  of  the 
tides,  I  cannot  pretend  to  say  for  certain  from  what  direction 
the  flood-tide  comes  on  this  coast:  the  impression  on  my  mind, 
however,  has  been  upon  the  whole  in  favour  of  its  flowing 
I'rom  the  southward.     The  time  of  high  water  on  the  full  and 
change  days  of  the  moon  is  from  half  past  eleven  to  twelve 
o'clock,  being  nearly  the  same  as  atPortBowen;  but  the  tides 
are  so  irregular  at  times,  that  in  the  space  of  three  days  the 
retardation  will  occasionally  not  amount  to  an  hour.     I  ob- 
served, however,  that  as  the  days  of  full  and  change,  or  of  the 
moon's  quarter  approached,   the  irregularity  was  corrected, 
and  the  time  rectified,  by  some  tide  of  extraordinary  duration. 
The  m.^an  rise  and  fall  was  about  six  ferf. 


«!. 


# 


J   ^1 


OP   A   NOHTH-WEST   PASSAGE. 


137 


The  weather  continuing  nearly  calm  during  the  26th,  and 
the  ice  keeping  at  the  distance  of  several  miles  from  the  land, 
gave  us  an  opportunity  of  clearing  our  decks,  and  stowing  the 
things  belonging  to  the  Fury's  crew  more  comfortably  for 
their  accommodation  and  convenience.  I  now  felt  more  sen- 
sibly than  ever  the  necessity  I  have  elsewhere  pointed  out,  of 
both  ships  employed  on  this  kind  of  service  being  of  the  same 
size,  equipped  in  the  same  manner,  and  alike  efficient  in  eve- 
ry respect.  The  way  in  which  we  had  been  able  to  apply  eve- 
ry article  for  assisting  to  heave  the  Fury  down,  without  the 
smallest  doubt  or  selection  as  to  size  or  strength,  proved  an 
excellent  practical  example  of  the  value  of  being  thus  able,  at 
a  moment's  warning,  to  double  the  means  and  resources  of 
either  ship  in  case  of  necessity.  In  fact,  by  this  arrangement, 
nothing  but  a  harbour  to  secure  the  ships  was  wanted,  to  have 
completed  the  whole  operation  in  as  effectual  a  manner  as  in  a 
dock-yard;  for  not  a  shore,  or  outrigger,  or  any  other  precau- 
tion was  omitted,  that  is  usually  attended  to  on  such  occasions, 
and  all  as  good  and  effective  as  could  anywhere  have  been  de- 
sired. The  advantages  were  now  scarcely  less  conspicuous  in 
the  accommodation  of  the  officers  and  men,  who  in  a  short 
time  became  little  less  comfortable  than  in  their  own  ship; 
whereas,  in  a  smaller  vessel,  comfort,  to  say  nothing  of  health, 
would  have  been  quite  out  of  the  question.  Having  thus  ex- 
perienced the  incalculable  benefit  of  the  establi?.hment  com- 
posing this  expedition,  I  am  anxious  to  repeat  my  conviction 
of  the  advantages  that  will  always  be  found  to  attend  it,  in  the 
equipment  of  any  two  ships  intended  for  discovery. 

A  little  snow,  which  liad  fallen  in  the  course  of  the  last  two 
or  three  days,  now  remained  upon  the  land,  lightly  powder- 
ing the  higher  parts,  especially  those  having  a  northern  as- 
pect, and  creating  a  much  more  wintery  sensation  than  the 
large  broad  patches  or  drifts,  which,  on  all  tolerably  high  land 
in  these  regions,  remain  undissolved  during  the  whole  of  each 
successive  summer.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  such  patches 

18 


;J, 


t 


# 


138 


THIRD    VOYAGE    FOR   THE    DISCOVEUr 


here  and  there,  the  whole  of  this  coast  was  now  free  from  snotr 
before  the  middle  of  August. 

A  breeze  from  the  northward  freshening  up  strong  on  the 
27th,  we  stretched  over  to  the  eastern  shore  of  Prince  Re- 
gent's Inlet,  and  this  with  scarcely  any  obstruction  from  ice. 
We  could,  indeed,  scarcely  believe  this  the  same  sea  which, 
but  a  few  weeks  before,  had  been  loaded  with  one  impenetra- 
ble body  of  closely-packed  ice  from  shore  to  shore,  and  as  far 
as  the  eye  could  discern  to  the  southward.  We  found  this 
land  rather  more  covered  with  the  newly-fallen  snow  than 
that  to  the  westward ;  but  there  was  no  ice,  except  the  grounded 
masses,  anywhere  along  the  shore.  Having  a  grfeat  deal  of 
heavy  work  to  do  in  the  re-stowage  of  the  holds,  which  could 
not  well  be  accomplished  at  sea,  and  also  a  quantity  of  water 
to  fill  for  our  increased  complement,  I  determined  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  our  fetching  the  entrance  of  Nei'll's  Harbour  to  put 
in  here,  in  order  to  prepare  the  ship  completely  for  crossing 
the  Atlantic.  I  was  desirous  also  of  ascertaining  the  depth  of 
water  in  this  plice,  which  was  wanting  to  complete  Lieuten- 
ant Sherer's  sur\  ey  of  it.  At  one  p.m.  therefore,  after  com- 
mumcatii'g  to  the  ofllicers  and  ships'  companies  my  intention 
to  return  to  England,  1  left  the  ship,  accompanied  by  Lieuten- 
ant Sherer  in  a  second  boat,  to  obtain  the  necessary  soundings 
for  conducting  the  ship  to  the  anchorage,  and  to  lay  down  a 
buoy  in  the  proper  birth.  Finding  the  harbour  an  extremely 
convenient  one  for  our  purpor^e,  we  worked  the  ship  in,  and 
at  four  P.M.  anchored  ii>  thirteen  fathoms,  but  afterwards  shift- 
ed out  to  eighteen,  on  a  bottom  of  soft  mud.  Almost  at  the 
moment  of  our  dropping  the  anchor,  John  Page,  seaman  of 
the  Fury,  departed  this  life:  he  had  for  several  months  been 
affected  with  a  scrofulous  disorder,  and  he  was  gradually  sink- 
ing for  some  time.  This  being  the  only  case  of  disease  which 
proved  fatal  in  either  ship  of  this  expedition,  I  shall  here  in- 
sert the  following  brief  account  of  it,  wfth  which  I  have  been 
favoured  by  Mr.  M'Larcn,  surgeon  of  the  Fury. 


\/\ 


% 


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i  i- 


OF   A   NORTH-WEST   PASSAGE. 


%96 


**  In  the  beginning  of  March  this  poor  man  received  an  in- 
jury over  the  lower  part  of  the  spine,  by  a  fall  while  descend- 
ing a  hill  at  Port  Bowen,  where  he  had  been  employed  with 
a  party  at  work.  The  accident  at  first  appeared  so  trifling,  that 
for  some  days  hf^  took  no  notice  of  it,  and  did  not  complain 
till  the  nth,  when  the  part  had  become  so  swelled  and  in- 
flamed that  he  could  not  walk.  Resolution  was  in  vain  at- 
tempted; an  abscess  formed,  and  was  opened  on  the  17th, 
when  about  six  ounces  of  strumous  matter  was  discharged, 
which  discovered  the  injury  to  be  more  deeply-seated  and 
serious  than  was  at  first  apprehended;  particularly  as  it  occur* 
red  in  a  subject  that  from  his  white  hair,  fair  skin,  and  deli- 
cate appearance,  too  certainly  indicated  a  scrofulous  habit. 
On  the  19th,  by  an  unfortunate  fall  in  his  hammock,  the  head- 
screw  by  which  it  was  suspended  giving  way,  the  hurt  receiv- 
ed fresh  injury,  and  so  derangod  the  constitution,  that  sympa- 
thetic fever  supervened,  and  continued  till  the  24th,  when  he 
again  began  to  show  symptoms  of  amendment;  soon  after  the 
sore  assumed  a  healing  aspect,  and  he  Wvis  able  to  walk  about 
without  pain  or  difficulty.  These  favourable  appearances 
lasted  but  a  short  time;  the  discharge  increased,  and  the  sur- 
rounding parts  became  covered  with  inflamed  spots,  which  af- 
terwards suppurated,  and  separately  communicated  internally 
with  the  original  abscess.  He  now  daily  became  weaker;  on 
the  13th  of  August  hectic  fever  came  on,  and  he  expired  on 
the  27th." 

The  funeral  of  tlve  deceased  took  place  after  divine  service 
had  been  performed  on  the  28th ;  the  body  being  followed  to 
the  grave  by  a  procession  of  all  the  oflicers,  seamen  and  ma- 
rines of  both  ships,  and  every  solemnity  observed  which  the 
occasion  demanded.  The  grave  is  situated  near  the  beach  close 
to  the  anchorage;  and  a  board  was  placed  at  the  head  as  a  sub- 
stitute for  a  tomb-stone,  having  on  it  a  copper  plate  with  the 
usual  inscription. 

This  duty  being  performed,  we  immediately  commenced 
landing  the  casks  and  filling  water;  but  notwithstanding  the 


'V* 


irf-'. 


1 


t 


140 


THIRD   VOYAGE   FOH   THE   DISCOVERY 


large  streams  which,  a  short  time  before,  had  been  running 
into  the  harbour,  we  could  hardly  obtain  enough  for  our  pur- 
pose by  sinking  a  cask  with  holes  in  it.  I  have  no  doubt  that 
this  rapid  dissolution  of  all  the  snow  on  land  so  high  as  this, 
was  the  result  of  an  unusually  warm  summer.  This  work, 
together  with  the  entire  re-stowage  of  all  the  holds,  occupied 
the  whole  of  the  29th  and  30th,  during  which  time  Lieutenant 
Sherer  was  employed  in  completing  the  survey  of  the  harbour, 
more  especially  the  soundings,  which  the  presence  of  ice  had 
before  prevented.  These  arrangements  had  just  been  com- 
pleted, when  the  north-easterly  wind  died  away,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded, on  the  morning  of  the  31st,  by  a  light  air  from  the 
north-west-  As  soon  as  we  had  sent  to  ascertain  that  the  sea 
was  clear  of  ice  on  the  outside,  and  that  the  breeze  which  blew 
in  the  harbour  was  the  true  one,  we  weighed  and  stood  out, 
and  before  noon  had  cleared  the  shoals  at  the  entrance. 

Neill's  Harbour,  the  only  one  on  this  eastern  coast  of  Prince 
Regent's  Inlet  except  Port  Bowen,  to  which  it  is  far  superior, 
corresponds  with  one  of  the  apparent  openings  seen  at  a  dis- 
tance in  1819,  and  marked  on  the  chart  of  that  voyage  as  a 
"valley  or  bay."  We  found  ft  not  merely  a  convenient 
place  of  shelter,  but  a  most  excellent  harbour,  with  sufficient 
space  for  a  great  number  of  ships,  and  holding-ground  of  the 
best  quality,  consisting  of  a  tenacious  mud  of  a  greenish  co- 
lour, ill  which  the  flukes  of  an  anchor  are  entirely  imbedded. 
A  great  deal  of  the  anchoring  ground  is  entirely  land-locked, 
and  some  shoal  points  which  narrow  the  entrance  would  serve 
to  break  off  any  heavy  sea  from  the  eastward.  The  depth  of 
water  in  most  parts  is  greater  than  could  be  wished,  but  seve- 
ral good  births  are  pointed  out  in  a  survey  made  by  Lieute- 
nant Sherer.  The  beach  on  the  west  side  is  a  fine  bold  one, 
with  four  fathoms  within  twenty  yards  of  low-water  mark, 
and  consists  of  small  pebbles  of  limestone.  The  formation 
of  the  rock.^  about  the  harbour  is  so  similar  to  that  of  Port 
Bowen,  that  no  description  of  them  is  necessary.  The  harbour 
may  best  be  known  by  its  latitude;  by  the  very  remarkable 


...Uw^ 


i 


« « 


« 


OF    A    NORTH-WEST    PASSAGE. 


141 


flat-topped  hill  eight  miles  south  of  it,  which  I  have  named 
after  Lieutenant  Sherer,  who  observed  its  latitude;  by  the 
high  cliffs  on  the  south  side  of  the  entrance,  and  the  compara- 
tively low  land  on  the  north.  The  high  land  is  the  more  pe- 
culiar, as  consisting  of  that  very  regular  horizontal  stratifica- 
tion appearing  to  be  supported  by  buttresses,  which  charac- 
terizes a  large  portion  of  the  western  shore  of  Prince  Regent's 
Inlet,  but  is  not  seen  on  any  part  of  this  coast  so  well  marked 
as  here.  It  is  a  remarkable  circumstance,  and  such  as,  I  be- 
lieve, very  rarely  occurs,  that  from  the  point  of  this  land 
forming  the  entrance  of  the  harbour  to  the  southvvard,  and 
where  the  cliffs  rise  at  once  to  a  perpendicular  height  of  not  less 
than  five  or  six  hundred  feet,  a  shoal  stretches  off  to  the  dis- 
tance of  one-third  of  a  mile,  having  from  three  to  eight  fa- 
thoms upon  it.  I  have  reason  to  think,  indeed,  that  there  is 
pot  more  than  from  ten  to  fourteen  fathoms,  anywhere  across 
between  this  and  the  low  point  on  the  other  side,  thus  forming 
a  sort  of  bar,  though  the  depth  of  water  is  much  more  than  suf- 
ficient for  any  ship  to  pass  over.  The  latitude  of  Neill's  Har- 
bour is  73°  09'  08";  the  longitude  by  chronometers  89° 01' 
20".8;  the  dip  of  the  magnetic  needle  88°  08'.25,  and  the  va- 
riation 118°  48' westerly,         i    .     ;     .     '. .  r;         ..     ..     / 

I  have  been  thus  particular  in  describing  Neill's  Harbour, 
because  I  am .  of  opinion  that  at  no  very  distant  period  the 
whalers  may  find  it  oi  service.  The  western  coast  of  Baffin's 
Bay,  now  an  abundant  fishery,  will  probably,  like  most  others, 
fail  in  a  few  years;  for  the  whales  will  always,  in  the  course  of 
time,  leave  a  place  where  they  continue,  year  after  year,  to 
be  molested.  In  that  case,  Prince  Regent's  Inlet  will  undoubt- 
edly become  a  rendezvous  for  our  ships,  as  well  on  account  of 
the  numerous  fish  there,  as  the  facility  with  which  any  ship, 
having  once  crossed  the  ice  in  Baffin's  Bay,  is  sure  to  reach  it 
during  the  months  of  July  and  August.  We  saw  nine  or  ten 
black  whales  the  evening  of  our  arrival  in  Neill's  Harbour; 
these,  like  most  observed  hereabouts,  and  I  believe  on  the 
western  coast  of  Baffin's  Bay  generally,  were  somewhat  be- 
low the  middle  size. 


H 


#-■ 


142 


THIRD  VOYAGE   FOR   THE   DISCOVERY 


Finding  the  wind  at  north-west  in  Prince  Regent's  Inlet, 
we  were  barely  able  to  lie  along  the  eastern  coast.  As  the 
breeze  freshened  in  the  course  of  the  day,  a  great  deal  of  loose 
ice  in  extensive  streams  and  patches  came  drifting  down  from 
the  Leopold  Islands,  occasioning  us  some  trouble  in  picking 
our  way  to  the  northward.  By  carrying  a  press  of  sail,  how- 
ever, we  were  enabled,  towards  night,  to  get  into  clearer  wa- 
ter, and  by  four  a.m.  on  the  1st  of  September,  having  beat 
to  windward  of  a  compact  body  of  ice  which  had  fixed  itself 
on  the  lee-shore  about  Cape  York,  we  soon  came  into  a  per- 
fectly open  sea  in  Barrow's .  Strait,  and  were  enajbled  to  bear 
away  to  the  eastward.  We  now  considered  ourselves  for- 
tunate in  having  got  out  of  harbour  when  we  did,  as  the  ice 
would  probably  have  filled  up  every  inlet  on  that  shore  in  a 
few  hours  after  we  left  it.        '    »    • .      -  •'  *     -^^  /  ^t    "    '  - 

The  wind  heading  us  from  the  eastward  on  the  2nd,  with  fog 
and  wet  weather,  obliged  us  to  stretch  across  the  Sound,  in 
doing  which  we  had  occasion  to  remark  the  more  than  usual 
number  of  icebergs  that  occurred  in  this  place,  which  was 
abreast  of  Navy-Board  Iplet.     Many  of  these  were  large  and 
of  the  long  flat  kind,  which  appear  to  me  to  be  peculiar  to  the 
western  coast  of  Baffin's  Bay.  I  have  no  doubt  that  this  more 
than  usual  quantity  of  icebergs  in  Sir  James  Lancaster's  Sound 
was   to  be  attributed  to   the  extraordinary  prevalence  and 
strength  of  the  easterly  winds  during  this  summer,  which 
would  drive  them  from  the  eastern  parts  of  Baffin's  Bay. 
They  now  occurred  in  the  proportion  of  at  least  four  for  one 
that  we  had  ever  before  observed  here.        '^^   "        -^'?'    ^'-  . 
-  Being  again  favoured  with  a  fair  wind,  we  now  stretched  to 
the  eastward,  still  in  an  open  sea;  and  cur  curiosity  was  par- 
ticularly excited  to  see  the  present  situation  of  the  ice  in  the 
middle  of  Baffin's  Bay,  and  to  compare  it  with  that  in  1824. 
This  comparison  we  were  enabled  to  make  the  more  fairly,  be- 
cause the  season  at  which  we  might  expect  to  come  to  it  coin- 
cided, within  three  or  four  days,  with  that  in  which  we  left  it 
thp  preceding  year.     The  temperature  of  the  sea-water  now 


y 


^»Jg- 


OF   A   NORTH-WEST  PASSAGE. 


u» 


increased  to  38°,  soon  after  leaving  the  Sound,  where  it  had 
generally  been  from  33°  to  35°,  whereas  at  the  same  season 
last  year  it  rose  no  higher  than  32°  anywhere  in  the  neighbour^ 
hood,  and  remained  even  so  high  as  that  only  for  a  very  short 
time.  This  circumstance  seemed  to  indicate  the  total  absence 
of  ice  from  those  parts  of  the  sea  which  had  last  Autumn  been 
wholly  covered  by  it.  Accordingly,  on  the  5th,  being  thirty 
miles  beyond  the  spot  in  which  we  had  before  contended  with* 
numerous  difficulties  from  ice,  not  a  piece  was  to  be  seen,  ex- 
cept one  or  two  solitary  bergs;  and  it  was  not  till  the  follow- 
ing day,  in  latitude  72°  45',  and  longitude  ^4°  44',  or  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  miles  to  the  eastward  of  where 
we  made  our  escape  on  the  9th  of  September,  1824,  that  we 
fell  in  with  a  body  of  ice  so  loose  and  open  as  scarcely  to  oblige 
us  to  alter  our  course  for  it  At  three  p.m.  on  the  7th,  being 
in  latitude  72°  30',  and  longitude  60°  05',  and  having,  in  the 
course  of  eighty  miles  that  we  had  run  through  it,  only  made  a 
single  tack,  we  came  to  the  margin  of  the  ice,  and  got  into  an 
open  sea  on  its  eastern  side.  In  the  whole  course  of  this  dis- 
tance the  ice  was  so  much  spread,  that  it  would  not,  if  at  all 
closely  "packed,"  have  occupied  one-third  of  the  same  space. 
There  were  at  this  time  thirty-nine  bergs  in  sight,  and  some 
of  them  certainly  not  less  than  two  hundred  feet  in  height. 

The  narrowness  and  opeimess  of  the  ice  at  this  season,  be- 
tween the  parallels  of  73°  and  74°,  when  compared  with  its 
extent  and  closeness  about  the  same  time  the  preceding  year, 
was  a  decided  confirmation,  if  any  were  wanting,  that  the 
summer  of  1824  was  extremely  unfavourable  for  penetrating 
to  the  westward  about  the  usual  latitudes.  How  it  had  proved 
elsewhere  we  could  not  of  course  conjecture,  till,  on  the  8th, 
being  in  latitude  71°  55',  longitude  60°  30',  and  close  to  the 
margin  of  the  ice,  we  fell  in  with  the  Alfred,  Ellison,  and 
Elizabeth,  Whalers  of  Hull,  all  running  to  the  northward, 
even  at  this  season,  to  look  for  whales.  From  them  we  learned 
that  the  Ellison  was  one  of  the  two  ships  we  saw,  when  beset 
in  the  "pack"  on  the  18th  of  July,  1824;  and  that  they  wen> 


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144 


THIRD   VOYAGE   FOR   THE   DISCOVERY 


then,  as  we  had  conjectured,  on  their  return  from  the  north- 
ward, in  consequence  of  having  failed  in  effecting  a  passage  to 
the  westward.  The  master  of  the  Ellison  informed  us  that, 
after  continuing  their  course  along  the  margin  of  the  ice  to 
the  southward,  they  at  length  passed  through  it  to  the  western 
land  without  any  difficulty,  in  the  latitude  of  68°  to  69°. 
Many  other  ships  had  also  crossed  about  the  same  parallels, 
even  in  three  or  four  days;  but  none,  it  seemed,  had  succeeded 
in  doing  so,  as  usual,  to  the  northward.  Thus  it  plainly  ap- 
peared (and  I  need  not  hesitate  to  confess  that  to  me  the  infor- 
mation was  satisfactory)  that  our  bad  success  in  pushing  across 
the  ice  in  Baffin's  Bay  in  1824,  had  been  caused  by  circum- 
stances neither  to  be  foreseen  nor  controlled;  namely,  by  a 
particular  position  of  the  ice  which,  according  to  the  best  in- 
formation 1  have  been  able  to  collect,  has  never  before  occur- 
red during  the  only  six  years  that  it  has  been  customary  for 
the  Whalers  to  cress  this  ice  at  all,  and  which,  therefore,  in 
all  probability,  will  seldom  occur  again. 

If  we  seek  for  a  cause  for  the  ice  thus  hanging  with  more 
than  ordinary  tenacity  to  the  northward,  the  comparative  cold- 
ness of  the  season  indicated  by  our  meteorological  observations 
may  perhaps  be  considered  sufficient  to  furnish  it.  For  as  the 
annual  clearing  of  the  northern  parts  of  Baffin's  Bay  depends 
entirely  on  the  time  of  the  disruption  of  the  ice,  and  the  rate 
»t  which  it  is  afterwards  drifted  to  the  southward  by  the  ex- 
cess of  northerly  winds,  any  circumstance  tending  to  retain  it 
in  the  bays  and  inlets  to  a  later  period  than  usual,  and  subse- 
quently to  hold  it  together  in  large  floes,  which  drive  more 
slowly  than  smaller  masses,  would  undoubtedly  produce  the 
effect  in  question.  There  is,  at  all  events,  one  useful  practical 
inference  to  be  drawn  from  what  has  been  stated,  which  is, 
that,  though  perhaps  in  a  considerable  majority  of  years  a 
northern  latitude  may  prove  the  most  favourable  for  crossing 
in,  yet  seasons  will  sometimes  intervene,  in  which  it  will  be  a 
matter  of  great  uncertainty  whereaboutA  to  make  the  attempt 
with  the  best  hope  of  success. 


■A 


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i 


OP    A    NORTH-WEST    PASSAGE. 


145 


/  I-' 


As  the  whaling-ships  were  not  homeward  bound,  having  as 
yet  had  indifferent  success  in  the  fishery,  I  did  not  consider  it 
necessary  to  send  despatches  by  them.  After  an  hour's  com- 
munication with  them,  ^nd  obtaining  such  itiformation  of  a 
public  nature  as  could  not  fail  to  be  highly  interesting  to  us, 
we  made  sail  to  the  southward ;  while  we  observed  them  lying 
to  for  some  time  after,  probably  to  consult  respecting  the  un- 
welcome information  with  which  we  had  furnished  them  as  lo 
the  whales,  not  one  of  which,  by  some  extraordinary  chance, 
we  had  seen  since  leaving  Neill's  Harbour.  As  this  circun% 
stance  was  entirely  new  to  us,  it  seems  not  unlikely  that  the 
whales  are  already  beginning  to  shift  their  ground,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  increased  attacks  which  have  been  made  upon 
tl»f  m  of  late  years  in  that  neighbourhood. 

On  the  10th  we  had  an  easterly  wind,  which  gradually 
freshening  to  a  gale,  drew  up  the  Strait  from  the  southward, 
and  blew  strong  for  twenty-four  hours  from  that  quarter.     In 
the  course  of  the  night,  and  while  lying-to  under  the  storm- 
sails,  an  iceberg  was  discovered  by  its  white  appearance  un- 
der our  lee.  ■  The  main-topsail  being  thrown  aback,  wo  wen? 
enabled  to  drop  clear  of  this  immense  body,  which  would  have; 
been  a  dangerous  neighbour  in  a  heavy  sea-way.     The  wind 
moderated  on  the  11th,  but  on  the  following  day  another  gale 
came  on,  which  ipr  nine  or  ten  hours  blew  in  most  tremen- 
dous gusts  from  the  same  quarter,  and  raised  a  heavy  sea.  WV 
happily  came  near  no  i^e  during  the  night,  or  it  would  Scarcely 
have  been  possible  to  keep  the  ship  clear  of  it.    It  abated  after 
daylight  on  the  13th,  but  continued  to  blow  an  ordinary  gale 
for  twelve  hours  longer.     It  was  remarkable  that  the  weather 
was  extremely  clear  overhead  during  the  whole  of  this  last 
gale,  which  is  very  unusual  here  with  a  southerly  wind.    Uc- 
ing  favoured  with  a  northerly  breeze  on  the  15th,   we  began 
to  make  some  way  to  the  southward.     From  nine  a  m.  to  one 
P.M.,  ft  change  of  temperature  in  the  sea  water  took  place  from 
37°  to  3:^°.     This  circumstance  seemed   to  indicate  our  np- 
pn>ach  to  some  ice  projecting  to  the  eastward  beyond  the 

m 


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■Si^'  Miii 


X 


14(» 


THIRD  VOYAGE   FOR  THE  DISCOVERY 


i 


f 


strait  and  regular  margin  of  the  "pack,'*  which  was  at  this' 
time  not  in  ^ight.  The  indication  proved  correct  and  useful  j 
for  after  passing  several  loose  pieces  of  ice  during  the  night, 
on  the  morning  of  the  15th,  just  at  day-break,  we  came  to  a 
considerable  body  of  it,  through  which  we  continued  to  run 
to  the  southward.  We  were  now  in  latitude  68°  56',  and  in  - 
longitude  58°  27',  in  which  situation  a  great  many  bergs  were 
in  sight,  and  apparently  aground.  We  ran  through  this  ice, 
which  was  very  heavy,  but  loose  and  much  broken  up,  the 
whole  day;  when,  having  sailed  fifty-three  miles  S.S.E.,  and 
appearances  being  the  same  as  ever,  we  hauled  to  the  E.S.E., 
to  endeavour  to  get  clear  before  dark,  which  we  were  just  en- 
abled to  effect  after  a  run  of  thirty  miles  in  that  direction,  and 
then  bore  up  to  the  southward.  After  this  we  saw  but  one 
iceberg,  and  one  heavy  loose  piece,  previous  to  our  clearing 
Davis'  Strait.  •     v  '. 

On  the  17th  at  noon  we  had  passed  to  the  southward  of  the 
Arctic  Circle,  and  from  this  latitude  to  that  of  about  58°,  we 
had  favourable  winds  and  weather;  but  we  remarked  on  this, 
as  on  sel^ral  other  occasions  during  this  season,  that  a  north- 
erly breeze,  contrary  to  ordinary  observation,  brought  more 
moisture  with  it  than  any  other.  In  the  course  of  this  run, 
we  also  observed  more  drift-wood  than  we  had  ever  done  be-  ' 
fore,  which  I  thought  might  possibly  be  ojving  to  the  very  • 
great  prevalence  of  easterly  winds  this  season  driving  it  fur- 
ther from  the  coast  of  Greenland  than  usual.  Wc  saw  very 
large  flocks  of  kittiwakes,  some  of  the  whales  called  tinners, 
and,  as  we  supposed,  a  few  also  of  the  black  kind,  together 
with  multitudes  of  porpoises.      •  "    »  '•  ,, 

On  the  morning  of  the  24th,  notwithstanding  the  continu- 
ance of  a  favourable  breeze,  we  met,  in  the  latitude  of  58i°, 
so  heavy  a  swell  from  the  north-eastward  as  to  make  the  ship 
labour  violently  for  four-and-twenty  hours.  The  northerly 
wind  then  dying  away  was  succeeded  by  a  light  air  from  the 
eastward  with  constant  rain.  A  calm  then  followed  'for  seve- 
ral hours,  causing  the  ship  to  roll  heavily  in  the  hollow  of  the 


t>  • 


.M   .., 


OP   A  NORTH-WEST   PASSAGE. 


147 


sea.  On  th6  morning  of  the  25th  we  had  again  an  easterly 
wind,  which  in  a  few  hours  reduced  us  to  the  close-reefed  top- 
sails and  reefed  courses.  At  eight  p.m.  it  freshened  to  a  gale, 
which  brought  us  under  the  main-topsail  and  storm-staysails, 
and  at  seven  the  following  morning  it  increased  to  a  gale  of 
such  violence  from  N.E.b.N.  as  does  not  very  often  occur  at 
sea  in  these  latitudes.  The  gusts  were  at  times  so  tremendous 
as  to  set  the  sea  quite  in  a  foam,  and  threatened  to  tear  the 
sails  out  of  the  bolt-ropes.  It  abated  a  little  for  four  hours  in 
the  evening,  but  from  nine  p.m.  till  two  the  following  morn- 
ing blew  with  as  great  violence  as  before,  with  a  high  sea,  and 
very  heavy  rain,  constituting  altogether  as  inclement  weather 
as  can  well  be  conceived,  for  about  eighteen  hours.  The  wind 
gradually  drew  to  the  westward,  with  dry  weather,  after  the 
gale  began  to  abate,  and  at  six  a.m.  we  were  enabled  to  bear 
up  and  run  to  the  eastward  with  a  strong  gale  at  N.  W. 

The  indications  of  the  barometer  previous  to  and  during 
this  gale  deserve  to  be  noticed,  because  it  is  only  about  Cape 
Farewell  that,  in  coming  from  the  northward  down  Davis' 
Strait,  this  instrument  begins  to  speak  a  language  which  had 
nver  been  intelligible  to  us  o^  a  tveather-glass.     As  it  is  also 
^r  tain  that  a  "  stormy  spirit"  resides  in  the  neighbourhood 
v/i  this  headlap'^.,  no  less  than  in  that  of  more  famed  ones  to 
the  south,  it  may  become  a  matter  of  no  small  practical  utility 
for  ships  passing  it,  especially  in  the  autumn,  to  attend  to  the 
oscillations  of  the  mercurial  column.     It  is  with  this  impres- 
sion alone,  that  I  have  detailed  the  otherwise  uninteresting  cir- 
cumstances of  the  inclement  weather  we  now  experienced 
here,  and  which  was  accompanied  by  the  following  indications 
of  the  barometer.     On  the  24th,  notwithstanding  the  change 
of  wind  from  north  to  east,  the  mercury  rose  from  29.51  on 
that  morning,  to  29.72  at  three  a.m.  the  following  day,  but 
fell  to  29.39  by  nine  p.m.   with  the  strong  but  not  violent 
breeze  then  blowing.     After  this  it  continued  to  descend  very 
gradually,   and  had   reached  28.84,  which  was  its  minimum, 
at  three  p.m.  on  the  26th,  filter  which  it  continued  to  blow 


'1^ 


M 


fpr  • 


.v» 


'^ 


^m. 


THIKD   VOYAGK    FOB   THE   DISCOVERY 

* 

tremetiidously  hard  for  eleven  or  twelve  hours,  the  mercury 
uniformly  though  slowly  ascending  to  28.95  during  that  in- 
terval, and  afterwards  to  29. 73,  as  the  weather  became  mo- 
derate and  fine  in  the  «ourse  of  the  three  following  days. 

After  this  gale  the  atmosphere  seemed  to  be  quite  cleared, 
and  we  enjoyed  a  week  of  such  ren^arkably  fine  weather  as 
seldom  occurs  at  this  season  of  the  year.     We  had  then  a  suc-^ 
cession  of  strong  southerly  winds,  but  were  enabled  to  continue 
our  progress  to  the  eastward,  so  as  to  make  Mould  Head,  to- 
wards the  north-west  end  of  the  Orkney  Islands,  at  daylight 
on  the  10th  of  October;  and  the  wind  becoming  more  wester- 
ly, we  rounded  North  Ronaldsha  Island  at  noon,  and  then 
shaped  a  course  for  Buchaness.     ,  %  ft. ,  •* »    ^*i^    ,  i   if**?  p  p^^'»^ 
In  running  down  Davis'  Strait,  as 'well  as  in  crossing  the 
A-tlantic,  we  saw  on  this  passage,'as  well  as  in  all  our  former 
autumnal  ones,  a  good  deal  of  the  Aurora  Borealis.     It  first 
began  to  display  itself,  on  the  15th  of  September,   about  the 
latitude  ot  69^°,  appearing  in  the  (true)  south-east  quarter  as 
a  bright  luminous  patch  five  or  six  degrees  above  the  horizon, 
almost  statioiiliry  for  two  or  three  hours  together,  but  fre- 
qXiently  altering  its  intensity,  and  occasionally  sending  up 
vivid  streamers  towards  the  zenith.     It  appeared  in  the  same 
manner,  on  several  subsequent  nights,  in  the  south-west,- west, 
and  east  quarters  of  the  heavens;  and  on  the  20th  a  bright 
arch  of  it  passed  across  the  zenith  from  S.E.  to  N.W.,  ap- 
pearing to  be  very  close  to  the  ship,  and  affording  so  strong  a 
light  as  to  throw  the  shadow  of  objects  on  the  deck.     The 
next  brilliant  display,  however,  of  this  beautiful  phenomenon 
which  we  now  witnessed,  and  which  far  surpassed  anything 
of  the  kind  observed  at  Port  Bowen,  occurred  on  the  night  of 
the  24th  of  September,  in  latitude  58i°,  longitude  44i°.     It 
first  appeared  in  a  (true)  cast  direction,  in  detached  masses 
like  luminous  clouds  of  yellow  or  sulphur-coloured  light,  about 
three  degrees  above  the  horizon.     When  this  appearance  had 
continued  for  about  an  hour,  it  began,  at  nine  p.m.  to  spread 
upwards,  and  gradually  extended  itself  into  a  narrow  band  of 


■"«^s' 


^         t 


1* 


OF   A  NORTH-WEST   PASSAGE. 


149 


light  passing  through  the  zenith  and  again  downwards  to  the 
western  horizon.     Soon  after  this  the  streams  of  light  seemed 
no  longer  to  emanate  from  the  eastward,  but  from  a  fixed 
point  about  one  degree  above  the  horizon  on  a  true  west  bear- 
ing.    From  this  point,  as  from  the  narrow  point  of  a  funnel, 
streams  of  light  resembling  brightly-illuminated  vapour  or 
smoke,   appeared    to  be  incessantly   issuing,    increasing    in 
breadth  as  they  proceeded,  and  darting  with  inconceivable  ve- 
locity, such  as  the  eye  could  scarcely  keep  pace  with,  up- 
wards towards  the  zenith,  and  in  the  same  easterly  direction 
which  the  former  arfth  had  taken.     The  sky  immediately  un- 
der the  spot  from  which  'the  light  issued,  appeared,  by  a  de- 
ception very  common  in  this  phenomenon,  to  be  covered  witlj 
a  dark  cloud,  whose  outline  the  imagination  might  at  times 
convert  into  that  of  the  summit  of  a  mountain,  from  which 
the  light  proceeded,  like  the  flames  of  a  volcano.  The  streams 
of  light,  as  they  were  projected  upwards,  did  not  consist  of 
continuous  vertical  columns  or  streamers,  but  almost  entirely 
of  separate,  though  constantly-renewed  masses,  which  seemed 
to  roll  themselves  laterally  onward,  with  a  sort  of  undulating 
motion,  constituting  what  I  have  understood  to  be  meant  by 
that  modification  of  the  Aurora  called  the  "  merry-dancers," 
which  is  seen  in  beautiful  perfection  at  the  Shetland  Islands. 
The  general  colour  of  the  light  was  yellow,  but  an  orange 
and  a  greenish  tinge*  were  at  times  very  distinctly  perceptible, 
the  intensity  of  the  light  and  colours  being  always  the  great- 
est when  occupying  the  smallest  space.     Thus  the  laterj!  mar- 
gins of  the  band  or  arch  seemed  at  times  to  roll  themselves 
inwards  so  as  to  approach  each  other,  and  in  this  case  the  light 
just  at  the  edges  became  much  more  vivid  than  the  rest.  ^  The 
intensity  of  light  during  the  brightest  part  of  the  phenomenon, 
which  continued  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  could  scarcely  be 
inferior  to  that  of  the  moon  when  full. 

We  once  more  remarked,  in  crossing  the  Atlantic,  that  the 
Aurora  often  gave  a  great  deal  of  light  at  night,  even  when  the 
sky  was  entirely  overcast)  and  it  was  on  tliat  account  impossi- 


4 


V 


^P 


V< 


■i'„ 


m 


•f^ 


■^ 


;>. 


150 


TUIHD   VOYAGE    FOR   THE   DISCOVERY 


f 


ble  to  say  from  what  part  of  the  heavens  the  light  proceeded, 
though  it  was  often  fully  equal  to  that  afforded  by  the  moon  in 
her  quarters.  This  was  rendered  particularly  striking,  on  the 
night  of  the  5th  of  October,  in  consequence  of  the  frequent 
and  almost  instantaneous  changes  which  took  place  in  this 
way,  the  weather  being  rather  dark  and  gloomy,  but  the  sky 
at  times  so  brightly  illuminated,  almost  in  an  instant,  as  to 
give  quite  as  much  light  as  the  full  moon  similarly  clouded, 
and  enabling  one  distinctly  to  recognize  persons  from  one 
end  of  the  ship  to  the  other.  We  did  not  on  any  one  occa- 
sion perceive  the  compasses  to  be  affecfted  by  the  Aurora 
Borcalis.  '     **  • ,    *      '   *  *"'         >   ^     •'  .' 

^  Some  of  the  changes  in  the  temperature  of  the  sear  water, 
which  occurred  during  this  passage,  appear  to  me  sufficiently 
remarkable  to  require  a  more  distinct  notice  than  is  contained 
in  the  Meteorological  Abstracts;  and  as  these  changes  might 
be  of  service  to  ships  making  the  passage,  I  here  insert  in  one 
concise  view  the  gradual  alterations  which  took  place,  both  on 
the  outward  and  homeward  bound  passage. 

'     .  ■"       '     '.  '      '       .    •      ■'  *  • . 


«• 


t 


•  t 


I    • 


df" 


'» -t 


«i 


'jSifL 


^ 
» 


OF   A   NORTH-V/EST   PASSAGE. 


151 


ied, 
n  in 
ithe 
uent 
this 
sky- 
is  to 
ded, 
one 
tcca- 
irora 

ater., 
jntly 
lined 
light 
none 
thon 


CHANGE^  IN  THE  TEMPERATURE  OF  THE  SeA-WATER. 


Latitude 

Longitude 

Temperature 

Day. 

Hour. 

of  the  Sea 

REMARKS. 

N. 

W. 

changed  to 

1824. 

O         f 

o       / 

0 

From  June  1st 

■)          c 

59    28 

9    31 

7     Ci^ 

till 

I       \ 

to 

to 

C    >to 

Noon  7th 

3         i 

60    47 

22    36 

S    C49 

. 

June        7th 

1    P.M. 

60    06 

22    4D 

52 

8th 

3    A.M. 

58    27 

23     20 

49  to  50 

10th 

3   P.M. 

58    42 

28    33 

48 

11th 

9    A.M. 

58    23 

32    04 

47 

<c 

3    P.M. 

58    07 

33     16 

"46 

•           « 

9    P.M. 

58    00 

34    21 

45 

12th 

9    A.M.       , 

57     57 

36    57 

44 

**    « 

3    P.M. 

58    04 

38    05 

43 

.     13th 

5    A.M. 

58    11 

41    25 

41 

<( 

7   P.M. 

58     19 

43    13 

40 

Near  the  meri- 

14th 

3    A.M. 

58    24 

43    27 

39 

dian  of  Cape 

« 

3  P.M. 

58    48 

45    44 

m  38 
*  37 

Far<-*w*;ll. 

15th 

9   P.M. 

59    59 

52    30 

16th 

9   A.M. 

60    33 

54    46 

56 

...        M 

9   P.M. 

60    50 

55    27 

35 

irth 

9    A.M. 

60    40 

57    13 

34  to  35 

And  for  a  few 

20th 

3   P.M. 

64    21 

56    22 

33 

hours  at  36". 

21st 
1825. 
Sept.      16th 

3   A.M. 

65    41 

57    09 

30ito3U 

7   P.M. 

67    46 

57    47 

32 

Near  the  ice. 

Midiiight. 

67    32 

57     15 

34 

No  ice  in  sight. 

. '      17th 

1    A.M. 

67     27 

57    05 

36 

do. 

It 

5   A.M. 

67    09 

56    42 

37 

do. 

" 

9   A.M. 

66    47' 

56    26 

37.5 

do. 

u 

11    A.M. 

66    31 

56     11 

38 

do. 

u 

1  to  3  P.M. 

66     14 

55     55 

36 

Probably  near- 

•'                II 

5    I'.M. 

65    56 

55     27 

37 

er  some  ice. 

II 

9   P.M. 

65    38 

55     10 

38 

18th 

9    P.M. 

64    40 

55    04 

39 

19th 

9    A.M. 

64    09 

55     l5 

40 

li 

1    P.M. 

64    07 

55     13 

41 

•« 

7    P.M. 

63     51 

55    04 

41.5 

II 

9   P.M. 

63    47 

55    01 

42 

20th 

7   P.M. 

62    41 

56    44 

43 

2Srd 

3    A.M. 

S9    43 

50    52 

44 

• 

II 

About  5  P.M. 

59    03 

47    45 

45 

24th 

5    A.M. 

58    22 

43    41 

45.5 

II 

9   P.M. 

58     18 

43    35 

46 

27th 

1   P.M. 

56    30 

42    30 

49 

Changed  from 

About 

meridian  of 

4fl»  to  49'  fnim 

the  Cape 

Pure  well. 

llAM.tol  PM. 

28th 

11    A.M. 

57    06 

38    34 

51 

Ditto    to    51" 

SOth 

11   A.M. 

58    17 

31    43 

52 

from  9  to  11 

October    1st 

9   AM. 

58    33 

29    14 

53 

A.M. 

3r<l 

9    A.M. 

59    03 

Jg3    28 

54  to  54.5 

I 


%■ 
% 


ar 


15i 


THIRD    VOYAGE    FOR   THE    DISCOVER k 


i 


As  we  approached  the  Orkneys,  I  demanded  from  the  offi- 
cers, in  compliance  with  my  instructions  from  my  Lords  Com- 
missioners of  the  Admiralty,  all  the  logs,  journals,  drawings 
and  charts  which  had  been  made  during  the  voyage.  After 
rounding  the  north  end  of  the  Orkneys  on  the  10th  of  October, 
we  were,  on  the  12th,  met  by  a  strong  southerly  wind,  when 
off  Peterhead.  I,  therefore,  immediately  landed  (for  the  se- 
cond time)  at  that  place,  and  setting  off  without  delay  for  Lon- 
don, arrived  at  the  Admiralty  on  the  16th.      '         '       *^  '*^. 

Notwithstapdmg  the  ill  success  which  had  attended  our  late 
efforts,  it  may  in  some  degree  be  imagined  what  gratification  I 
experienced  at  this  time  in  seeing  the  whole  of  the  Hecla's 
crew,  and  also  those  of  the  Fury  (with  the  two  exceptions 
already  mentioned)  return  to  their  native  country  in  as  good 
health  as  when  th|^  left  it  eighteen  months  before.  The  Hecla 
arrived  at  Sheerness  on  the  20th  of  October,  where  she  was 
detained  for  a  few  days  for  the  purpose  of  Captain  Hoppner, 
his  officers,  and  ship's  company,  being  put  upon  their  trial 
(according  to  the  customary  and  indispensable  rule  in  such 
cases)  for  the  loss  of  the  Fury;  when,  it  is  scaircely  necessary 
to  add,  they  received  an  honourable  acquittal.  The  Hecla 
then  proceeded  to  Woolwich,  and  was  paid  off  on  the  2 1st  of 
November.    =  .  •  t" 


-r 


Having  now  brought  to  a  close  my  Narrative  of  this  our 
third  unsuccessful  attempt  to  decide  the  question  of  a  North- 
West  Passs>ge  from  the  Ath  .tic  to  tli^  Pacific,  I  shall  here  beg 
to  offer,  in  conclusion,  a  few  remarks  on  this  and  one  or  two 
other  subjects,  which  have  engaged  much  of  my  attention  du- 
ring eight  successive  summers  that  I  have  been  employed  on 
this  service. 

I  shall  first  mention  a  circumstance  which  has  particularly 
forced  itself  upon  my  notice  in  the  course  of  our  various  at- 


* 


^''r    . 


•V 


pi 


A 


i»     OP  A  NOBTH-WEST  PASSAGE., **■' 


1^3 


ticularly 
Irious  at- 


tempts to  penetrate  through  the  ice  in  these  regions;  which  is, 
that  the  eastern  coast  of  any  portion  of  land,  or,  what  is  the 
.same  thing,  the  western  sides  of  seas  or  inlets,  having  a  tren- 
ding at  all  approaching  to  north  and  south,  are,  at  a  given  sea- 
son of  the  year,  generally  more  encumbered  with  ice  than  the 
shores  which  have  an  opposite  aspect  The  four  following  in- 
stances may  be  adduced,  in  illustration  of  this  fact,  and  cannot 
but  appear  somewhat  striking  when  considered  in  viewing  a 
map  which  exhibits  the  relative  position  of  the  shores  in  ques- 
tion. .  .  ■  .  ^'jf^i 
It  is  well  known  that,  in  the  extensive  northern  sea,  reach- 
ing from  latitude  60°  to  80°,  bounded  on  the  east  by  Lapland 
and  Spitzbergen,  and  on  the  west  by  Greenland,  the  whole  of 
the  latter  coast  is  blcked  up  by  ice  throughout  the  summer, 
so  as  to  make  it  at  least  a  matter  of  no  easy  enterprize  to  ap- 
proach it;  while  the  navigation  yf  the  eastern  portion  of  that 
sea  may  be  annually  performed  without  difficulty,  even  to  a 
very  high  latitude,  and  at  an  early  part  of  the  season.  A  se- 
cond equally  well  known  instance  occurs  in  the  navigation  of 
Davis's  Strait,  which,  from  about  Resolution  Island,  in  lati- 
tude 6H°,'  to  the  parallel  of  at  least  70°,  is  usually  inaccessible 
as  late  as  the  month  of  August,  and  a  great  deal  of  it  in  some 
summers  not  accessible  at  all;  while  a  broad  and  navigable 
channel  is  found  open  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Strait  (that 
is,  on  the  western  coast  of  Greenland)  many  weeks  before 
that  time.  We  experienced  a  third  and  very  striking  exam- 
pie  of  this  kind  in  coasting  the  eastern  shore  of  Melville  Pe- 
ninsula, in  the  years  1822  and  1823,  the  whole  of  that  coast 
being  so  loaded  with  ice  as  to  make  the.  navigHtion  extremely 
difficult  and  dangerous.  Now,  on  tlie  eastern  side  of  Fox 
Channel,  there  is  reason  to  believe,  as  well  from  the  account 
of  that  navigator  in  1631  and  that  of  Baffin  in  1615,  as  from 
our  own  observation,  tliat  there  is  little  or  no  ice  during  the 
summer  season.  In  the  course  of  Fox's  progress  along  the 
shore,  from  the  Trinity  Islands  to  his  furthest  north,  no  mention 
whatever  is  made  in  his  journal  of  any  obstruction  from  ice, 

,80  , 


n  .i 


^  '/ 


f  > 


iiiti 


*•" 


■.^ 


%■** 


■i^ 


£ 


( il. 


151 


THIRD   VOYAGE   FOR  THE  DISCOVERY 


v\ 


i' 


which  would  hardly  have  been  the  case  had  he  met  with  any  j 
and  in  our  own  passage,  as  well  as  that  of  Baffin,  from  Trinity 
Islands  towards  the  middle  of  Southampton  Island,  little  or 
no  obstruction  was  met  with  from  it  till  well  within  sight 
of  the  latter  coast.  The  last  instance  of  the  same  kind  which 
I  shall  mention  ia  that  of  Prince  Regent's  Inlet,  and  of  which 
the  events  of  this  voyage  furnish  too  striking  a  proof,  the  ice 
appearing  always  to  cling  to  the  western  shore  in  a  very  re- 
markable manner,  while  the  opposite  coast  is  comparatively 
free  from  it.  .      '     ,  ,/ 

These  facts,  when  taken  together,  have  long  ago  impressed 
me  with  an  idea,  that  there  must  exist  in  the  polar  regions 
some  general  motion  of  the  sea  towards  the  west,  causing  the 
ice  to  set  in  that  direction,  when  not  impelled  by  contrary 
windei,  or  local  and  occasional  currents,  until  it  butts  against 
those  shores  which  are  actually  found  to  be  most  encumbered 
by  it  In  confirmation  of  this  idea,  I  am  enabled  to  adduce 
some  more  definite  observations,  which  would  appear  to  tend 
to  the  same  result  In  the  Narrative  of  the  Voyage  of  1821 
to  1833,  I  have  shown  in  how  remarkable  a  manner  the  ships 
were,  in  two  separate  instances,  set  to  the  westwai^d,  towards 
Southampton  Island,  instead  of  beihg  carried  in  the  direction 
opposite  to  a  strong  wind;  and  how  closely  the  packed  ice  was 
found  to  cling  to  the  same  land,  even  against  a  fresh  breeze 
blowing  directly  off  the  shore.*  During  the  time  of  our  "  be- 
setment"  in  Baffin's  Bay,  in  the  month  of  August,  1824,  a 
set  to  the  westward,  even  against  a  strong  breeze  in  that  di- 
rection, has  already  been  noticed  in  the  present  narrative  ;t 
and  a  similar  olrcumstance  occurred  on  our  last  return.  In 
all  these  instances,  the  opportunities  were  as  favourable  for 
detecting  a  current  as  can  ever  occur  at  sea,  the  daily  obser- 
vations for  latitude  and  longitude  not  admitting  the  possibility 
of  any  material  error  in  our  actual  place,  and  the  ships  being, 
in  three  instances  out  of  four,  either  immoveably  «  beset"  in 

>«'■■  •  .   ,  ■  >is|;yF';^f  •  •'*!».'>••{»«  ^ 

f-'  *iw|!i  i-sM'hyi  •  Pp.  78,  481,  482.       f  p.  40,       -'^  s    H''^1^.  * 


.jiii 


'^ 


thanyj 
Trinity 
little  or 
n  sight 
1  which 
•f  which 
the  ice 
very  re- 
iratively 

1  pressed 
regions 
sing  the 
contrary 
}  against 
umbered 
o  adduce 
r  to  tend 
of  1831 
the  ships 
,  towards 
direction 
d  ice  was 
sh  breeze 
our  "  be- 
1824,  a 
that  di- 
irrative;t 
urn.     Ill 
irable  for 
ily  obser- 
)Ossibility 
ps  being, 
beset"  in 


OF    A    NORTH-WEST    PASSAGE.      f% 


the  ice,  or  firmly  attached  to  it,  and  therefore  wholly  inde- 
pendent of  dead  reckoning. 

Whether  the  circumstances  I  have  above  stated  may  have 
any  reference  to  the  well-known  fact  of  the  western  shores  of 
lands  enjoying  a  climate  considerably  more  temperate  than 
the  eastern  ones  in  a  corresponding  latitude,  I  do  not  presume 
even  to  conjecture;  nor  indeed  do  I  feel  myself  competent  to 
offer  any  decided  opinion  as  to  the  cause  of  the  phenomena  in 
question.  Having  stated  the  facts  precisely  as  they  have  oc- 
curred to  my  notice,  I  shall  only,  therefore,  add  to  these 
remarks  by  suggesting,  for  the  consideration  of  others,  whe- 
ther such  a  tendency  of  the  sea  as  that  above  noticed  may 
not  have  some  connexion  with  the  motion  of  the  earth  on, 
its  axis.      .C'il- .i#?st*5'*»-^«  ■•>■•  |;>  »'/■;'<«''' 


Si 


!^  *' 


ri 


In  the  effect  produced  by  the  ice  upon  the  strength  of  the 
wind,  there  is  something  so  remarkable,  that  although  I  have 
already  cursorily  alluded  to  it  in  the  course  of  my  Narratives, 
yet  as  I  have  never  met  with  any  explanation  of  it,  I  am  de- 
sirous of  once  more  drawing  to  this  subject  the  attention  of  ■ 
those  who  are  competent  judges  of  the  cause  of  this  phenome- 
non.    The  fact  to  which  I  allude  is  the  decrease  of  wind 
which  invariably  takes  place  in  passing  under  the  lee,  not 
merely  of  a  close  and  extensive  body  of  high  and  heavy  ice, 
but  even  of  a  stream  of  small  pieces,  so  loose  as  almost  to  al- 
low a  ship  to  pass  between  them,  and  not  one  of  them  reaching 
a  foot  above  the  surface  of  the  sea.     So  immediate,  indeed, 
is  this  effect,   that  the  moment  a  ship  comes  lender  the  lee  of 
such  a  stream,  if  under  press  of  sail,  she  rights  considerably, 
the  difference  being  at  least  equal  to  what  seamen  would  es- 
timate a  "  reef  in  the  top-sails,"  or  sometimes  more.     Any- 
thing like  mere  mechanical  shelter  must  of  course,  in  such  a 
case,  be  wholly  out  of  the  question;  which  is  still  more  appa- 
rent from  the  fact,  that  even  a  coat  of  "  sludge"  of  the  con- 
sistence of  honey,  covering  the  surface  of  the  sea,  will,  though 
in  a  less  degree,  produce  a  similar  effect.  I  have  several  times, 
under  these  circumstances,  watched  the  thermometer,  to  "*<-'^ 


•  • 


v--««pr'« 


I 


Mil 


m 


?i;^-3 


I 


156 


THIRD   VOTAO£    FOR   TH£   DISCOVERIT 


if  any  sensible  change  took  place  in  the  temperature  of  the 
atmosphere;  but  if  the  phenomenon  be  in  any  respect  due 
to  this  cause)  its  amount  is  certainly  too  small  to  be  thus 
detected.  •  .  'it 

Another  remarkable  feature  observable  in  the  Polar  regions, 
at  least  in  those  parts  which  are  encumbered  with  ice,  is  the 
total  absence  of  heavy  or  dangerous  squalls  of  wind.  There 
is,  of  course,  an  exception  to  this  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
land,  especially  such  as  is  intersected  by  valleys  and  ravines; 
but  in  a  ship  fairly  at  sea,  I  cannot  call  to  my  recollection  a 
single  instance,  in  the  Polar  regions,  of  such  squalls  as,  in 
other  climates,  oblige  the  seaman  to  lower  his  topsails  during 
their  continuance. 

In  re-visiting  many  of  the  spots  discovered  by  our  early 
British  navigators  in  the  Polar  regions,  and  in  traversing  the 
same  tracks  which  they  originally  pursued,  I  have  now  and 
then,  in  the  course  of  my  Narratives,  had  occasion  to  speak 
of  tlie  faithfulness  of  tTieir  accounts,  and  the  accuracy  of  their 
hydrographical    information.     I  should,  however,  be  doing 
but  imperfect  justice  to  the  memory  of  these  extraordinary 
men,  as  well  as  to  my  own  sense  of  their  merits,  if  I  permit- 
ted the  present  opportunity  to  pass  without  offering  a  still 
more  explicit  and  decided  testimony  to  the  value  of  their  la- 
bours.    The  accounts  of  Hudson,  Baffin,  and  Davis  are  the 
productions  of  men  of  no  common  stamp.     They  evidently 
relate  things  just  as  they  saw  them,  dwelling  on  such  nautical 
and  hydrographical  notices  as,  even  at  this  day,  are  valuable 
to  any  seaman  going  over  the  same  ground,  and  describing 
every  appearance  of  nature,  whether  on  the  land,  the  sea,  or 
the  ice,  with  a  degree  of  faithfulness  which  can  alone  perhaps 
be  duly  appreciated  by  those  who  succeed  them  in  the  same 
regions,  and  under  similar  circumstances.     The  general  out- 
line of  the  lands  they  discovered  was  laid  down  by  themselves 
with    such  extraordinary  precision,   even  in  longitude,   as 
scarcely  to  require  correction  in  modern  times;  of  which  fact 
the  oldest  maps  now  extant  of  Baffin's  Bay,  and  the  Straits  of 


*<tv* 


»  • 


# 


OP   A  MORTH-WEST   py.SSAGE. 


157 


or 


Hudson  and  Davis,  constructed  from  the  original  materials, 
will  afford  sufficient  proof.  The  same  accuracy  is  observable 
in  their  accounts  of  the  tides,  soundings,  and  bearings,  pheno-^ 
mena  in  which  the  lapse  of  two  hundred  years  can  have 
wrought  but  little  change.  It  is,  indeed,  impossible  for  any 
one  personally  acquainted  with  the  phenomena  of  the  icy  seas, 
to  peruse  the  plain  and  unpretending  narratives  of  these  navi- 
gators, without  recognising  in  almost  every  event  they  relate, 
some  circumstance  familiar  to  his  own  recollection  and  expe- 
rience, and  meeting  with  numberless  remarks  which  bear  most 
unequivocally  about  them  the  impress  of  truth. 

While  thus  doing  justice  to  the  faithfulness  and  accuracy 
with  which  they  recorded  their  discoveries,  one  cannot  less 
admire  the  intrepidity,  perseverance,  and  skill  with  which, 
inadequately  furnished  as  they  were,  the  e  dic':coveries  w  ire 
effected,  and  every  difficulty  and  danger  bravt  d.  T'lat  any 
man,  in  a  single  frail  vessel  of  five-and-twenty  t-^ns,  "li -found 
in  most  respects,  and  wholly  unprovided  for  winterir  ;,  havinr 
to  c>/ntend  with  a  thousand  real  difficulties,  as  well  as  wii  t 
numberless  imaginary  ones,  which  the  superstitions  then  e.ijiJ-. 
ing  among  sailors  would  not  fail  to  conjure  up, — tbo^  any  man, 
under  such  circumstances,  should,  two  hundred  ye  rs  ago, 
have  persevered  in  accomplishing  what  our  old  navigators  did 
accomplish,  is,  I  confess,  sufficient  to  create  in  my  mind  a 
feeling  of  the  highest  pride  on  the  one  hand,  and  almost  ap- 
proaching to  humiliation  on  the  other:  of  pride,  in  remember- 
ing that  it  was  owr  countrymen  who  performed  these  exploits^ 
of  humiliation,  when  I  consider  how  little,  with  all  our  advan- 
tages, we  have  succeeded  in  going  beyond  them. 

Indeed  the  longer  our  experience  has  been  in  the  naviga- 
tion of  the  icy  seas,  and  the  more  intimate  our  acquaintance 
with  all  its  difficnlties  and  all  its  pr  "wousness,  the  higher 
have  our  admiration  and  respect  be.!,  raised  for  those  who 
went  before  us  in  these  enterprises.  Persevering  in  difficulty, 
unappalled  by  danger,  and  patient  under  distress,  they  scarcely 
ever  use  the  language  of  comp'fi.it,  much  less  that  of  despair; 


»■    ' 


15S 


THIRD    VOfAdE   FOR  TB£' SISCOVKRY 


and  sometimes,  when  all  human  hope  seems  at  its  lowest  ebb, 
they  furnish  the  most  beautiful  examples  of  that  firm  reliance 
on  a  mercifbl  and  superintending  providence,  which  is  the 
only  rational  source  of  true  fortitude  in  man.  Often,  with 
their  narratives  impressed  upon  my  mind,  and  surrounded  by 
the  very  difficulties  which  they  in  their  frail  and  inefficient 
barks  undauntedly  encountered  and  overcame,  have  I  been 
tempted  to  exclaim  with  all  the  enthusiasm  of  Purchas,  "  How 
shall  I  admire  your  heroicke  courage,  ye  marine  worthies,  be- 
yond all  names  of  worthiness!" 

On  a  subject  which  has,  for  many  years  past,  excited  so 
strong  and  general  an  interest  as  that  of  the  North- West  Pas- 
sage, a  subject  which  has  called  forth  so  much  warm  British 
feeling  in  every  British  heart,  it  may  perhaps  be  expected 
that,  charged  as  I  have  been  with  three  several  attempts  at 
its  accomplishment,  I  should,  ere  I  close  this  volume,  once 
more  offer  an  opinion.  This  I  am  enabled  to  do  the  more 
briefly,  because  the  question  evidently  rests  nearly  where  it 
did  before  the  equipment  of  the  late  expedition,  and  I  have, 
therefore,  little  to  offer  respecting  it,  in  addition  to  what  I 
have  already  said  at  the  close  of  my  last  Narrative.*  The 
views  I  then  entertained  on  this  subject,  of  the  nature  and 
practicability  of  the  enterprise,  of  the  means  to  be  adopted, 
and  the  route  to  be  pursued  for  its  accomplishment,  remain 
wholly  unaltered  at  the  present  moment;  except  that  some 
.additional  encouragement  has  been  afforded  by  the  favourable 
appearances  of  a  navigable  sea  near  the  south-western  extre- 
mity of  Prince  Regent's  Inlet.  To  that  point,  therefore,  I 
can,  in  the  present  state  of  our  knowledge,  have  no  hesitation 
in  still  recommending  that  any  future  attempt  should  be 
directed. 

I  feel  confident  that  the  undertaking,  if  it  be  deemed  ad- 
visable at  any  future  time  to  pursue  it,  will  one  day  or  other 
be  accomplished;  for,  sotting  aside  the  accidents  to  which, 
from  their  very  nature,  stirh  attempts  must  W  liabli ,  as  well 

*  rp.  487— 491. 


»«>t 


■%■ 


v-»  -■  tC 


#' 


^*     i«.OP   A   NORTH-WEST   PASSAGE. 


t , 


159 


and 

opted, 

remain 

some 

Burable 

extrc- 

ore,  I 

itation 

uld  be 


ed  nd- 
othcr 
which, 
ad  well 


08  otlier  unfavourable  circumstances  which  human  foresight 
can  never  guard  against,  nor  human  pow#  control,  I  cannot 
but  believe  it  to  be  an  enterprise  well  within  the  reasonable 
limits  of  practicability.     It  may  be  tried  often,  and  often  fail, 
for  several  favourable  and  fortunate  circumstances  must  be  com- 
bined for  its  accomplishment;  but  I  believe  nevertheless  that 
it  will  ultimately  be  accomplished.     That  it  is  not  to  be  un- 
dertaken lightly,  nor  without  due  attention  to  every  precau- 
tion which  past  or  future  experience  may  suggest,  our  recent 
failures  under  such  advantages  of  equipment  as  no  other  expe- 
dition of  any  age  or  country  ever  before  united,  and  we  trust 
also  our  own  endeavours  to  effect  something  worthy  of  so  lib- 
eral an  outfit,  will  at  least  serve  to  show.     I  am  much  mis- 
taken indeed,  if  the  North-West  Passage  ever  becomes  the 
business  of  a  single  summer;  nay,  I  believe  that  nothing  but  ji 
concurrence  of  very  favoural)le  circumstances  is  likely  even 
to  make  a  single  lointer  in  tlic  ice  sufficient  for  its  accomplish- 
ment.    But  this  is  no  argument  against  the  possibility  of  final 
success;  for  we  now  know  that  a  winter  in  the  ice  may  be 
passed  not  only  in  safety,  but  in  health  and  comfort.     I  would 
only,  therefore,  in  conclusion,  urge  those  who  may  at  any  fu- 
ture time  be  charged  with  this  attempt,  to  omit  no  precaution" 
that  can  in  the  slightest  degree  contribute  to  the  strength  of 
the  ships,  the  duration  of  their  resources,  the  wholesomeness 
and  freshness  of  their  provisions,  the  warmth,  ventilation, 
and  cleanliness  of  the  inhabited  apartments,  and  the  comfort, 
cheerfulness,  and  moral  discipline  of  their  crews. 

Happy  as  I  should  have  considered  myself  in  solving  this 
interesting  question,  instead  of  still  leaving  it  a  matter  of  spe- 
culation and  conjecture,  happy  shall  I  also  be  if  any  labours  of 
mine  in  the  humble,  though  it  would  seem  necessary,  office  of 
pioneer,  should  ultimately  contribute  to  the  success  of  some 

•  That  none  of  our  patt  experience  may  be  lo«t  in  ftny  future  attcmptst 
uf  this  kind  in  eitiier  hrmiipherc,  1  um  preparinn  a  book  inti-ndcd  to  be 
lodjffdat  the  Admiralty.  coninininK 'I'vif  inns  iiiulfr  earli  sppT*'^'  head, 
tor  tlie  wliole  c(|uipment  of  liliips  about  to  be  employed  on  this  service. 


Jk^ 


I 


*• 

n 


-•esSfc 


f 


160 


tUlRD  VOYAOK    FOR  THE   DISCOVERY,  &C. 


more  fortunate  individual;  but  most  happy  should  I  again  be^ 
to  be  selected  astMlat  individual.  May  it  still  fall  to  England's 
lot  to  accomplish  this  undertaking,  and  may  she  ever  continue 
to  take  the  lead  in  enterprises  intended  to  contribute  tu  the 
advancement  of  science,  and  tb  promote,  with  her  own,  the 
welfare  of  mankind  at  large!  Such  enterprises,  so  disinte- 
rested as  well  as  useful  in  their  object,  do  honour  to  the  coun- 
try which  undertakes  them,  even  when  they  fail;  they  can- 
not but  excite  the  admiration  and  respect  of  every  liberal  and 
cultivated  mind,  and  the  page  of  future  history  will  undoubt- 
edly record  them  as  every"  way  worthy  of  a  powerful,  a  virtu- 
ous, and  an  enlightened  nation.  * 


■M 


» 


END   OF   THE    NARRATIVE. 


w  -«* 


km 


'f*few  ^  #*» 


*^i* 


'#«■ 


i 


•■■■4 


Note.— The  following  are  the  terms  in  which  the  Court- 
Martial  upon  Captain  Hoppner  for  the  loss  of  the  Fury,  was 
pleased  to  express  the  sentence. 


i( 


t 


And  having  heard  the  evidence  adduced,  and  also 

the  statement  of  Captain  Henry  Parkyns  Hoppner,  the  Court  is 
of  opinion  that  no  blame  whatever  attaches,  on  that  occasion, 
to  Captain  Henry  Parkyns  Hoppner,  his  ofRcers,  or  ship's  com- 
pany ;  and  doth,  in  consequence  thereof,  adjudge  the  said  Cap- 
tain Henry  Parkyns  Hoppner,  his  officers,  and  ship's  company, 
to  be  fully  acquitted.  . .    • 

"  And  the  said  Captain  Henry  Parkyns  Hoppner,  his  officers, 
and  ship's  company  are  hereby  fully  .acquitted  accordingly. 

"  And  the  court  in  justice  to  the  services  of  Captain  Parry, 
the  officers,  ari  ship's  company  of  His  Majesty's  sloop  Hecla, 
as  well  as  those  of  Captain  Hoppner,  the  officers,  and  ship's 
company  of  His  Majesty's  sloop  Fury,  to  save  His  Majesty's 
said  sloop  Fury,  cannot  omit  this  opportunity  of  expressing  the 
high  opinion  they  entertairf  of  their  very  distinguished  exer- 
tions." 


■• 


r 


i 


( ♦ 

41 


3) 


i 


«> 


i^: 


im- 


H      y  ii  i 


•V,   t 


Ti 


t\       I 


M. 


APPENDIX. 


J 


NATURAL  HISTORY. 


m 


i 


% 


'/■  ui'^::in'i 


f  ? 


W" 


'^■•*rtfc-^4;-.'»,!^:j^ 


^*<*  "^  '*t^ 


,  III  ■■    1 


ZOOLOGY. 


By  LIEUT.  JAMES  CLARK  ROSS,  R.  N.,  F.  L.  S. 


The  Natural  History  of  the  Arctic  Regions  has  late.y  receiv 
ed  so  much  attention,  and  has  been  so  ably  and  copiously  illus- 
trated, that  little  is  now  left  to  be  said  on  the  subject.  The 
present  notice  is,  therefore,  confined  to  an  enumeration  of  the 
several  species  which  fell  under  our  observation  during  the  late 
voyage.  Their  number  will  appear  small,  when  compared  with 
the  collections  made  on  former  occasions;  but  the  extreme 
sterility  of  the  country  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Port  Bowen, 
where  the  Expedition  wintered,  together  with  the  short  period 
of  our  stay  in  those  regions,  will  sufficiently  account  for  this 
circumstance. 

It  would  perhaps  have  been  desirable,  on  this  occasion,  to 
collect  into  one  view  the  observations  of  those  who  have  re- 
cently written  on  the  subject,  and,  together  with  the  additional 
information  which  this  voyage  has  afforded,  to  have  formed  a 
complete  Fauna  of  that  portion  of  the  Arctic  Regions  which  has 
been  visited  by  the  late  Expeditions  for  the  discovery  of  a 
North-west  Passage.  This  would,  however,  have  necessarily 
far  exceeded  the  prescribed  limits  of  this  notice,  and  probably 
have  required  much  more  time  to  execute  it,  than  the  early 
publication  of  the  Narrative  would  admit. 

The  arrangement  and  generic  names  used  by  Cuvier,  in  the 
Rf^gne  Animal^  have  been  adopted  in  the  'account  of  the  Mam 
malia. 


.<*-  ««r 


ir^BW" 


l-H^."  II  JALJ^WBBUPB 


IQfi 


APPENDIX. 


MAMMALIA. 


I.  Uhsvs  Maritimus.     Polar  Bear. 

These  animals  were  frequently  met  with  on  floating  frag- 
ments of  ice,  both  in  Davis'  Strait  and  Baffin's  Bay,  but  none 
were  killed  until  after  the  arrival  of  the  Expedition  at  Port 
Bo  wen.  There  they  visited  the  ships  in  considerable  numbers, 
and  in  the  course  of  the  winter  and  ensuing  spring  eleven  were 
killed.  Of  these  the  males  averaged  8|  cwt.,  the  females  about 
7^  cwt.,  and  the  largest  which  was  obtaint^d  did  not  exceed 
9  cwt.  The  very  wonderful  accounts  of  the  magnitude  of  these 
animaJs,  which  some  authors  have  given,  appear  extravagant 
and  exaggerated,  when  we  observe  that  the  largest  of  those 
which  have  been  met  with  in  the  course  of  the  late  voyages 
weighed  less  than  12  cwt.,  and  did  not  exceed  8  feet  9  inches 
in  length. 

That  the  gravid  females  alone  hibernate,  and  that  the  males 
and  unimpregnate  j  females  wander  about  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  the  clear  water  throughout  the  winter,  has  been  so  fully  con- 
firmed by  tile  testimony  of  the  Esquimaux  on  the  former,  and 
our  own  experience  on  the  present  voyage,  that  no  doubt  can 
now  remain  on  this  interesting  subject. 

2.  Cams  Lagopus.     uirctic  Fox.  ' 

Some  of  these  beautiful  little  animals  were  caught  in  traps, 
during  the  winter,  at  Port  Bowen,  and  one  of  them  lived  in  con- 
finement for  nearly  five  months ;  but,  notwithstanding  the  kindest 
treatment  and  attention,  it  continued  wild  and  untractable  to  the 
last.  It  began  to  cast  its  winter-coat  early  in  May,  the  fur  about 
tlu;  head  and  sides  first  falling  off,  and  exposing  a  short  dark 


'• 


■  V. 


'"mrwsum 


ZOOLOGY. 


167 


brown  hair,  approaching  to  a  blueish  black  at  the  base.    It  died 
at  the  end  of  May,  before  its  summer  dress  was  perfected. 

■  n  some  few  specimens  the  tail  was  perfectly  white,  agreeing 
with  that  part  of  the  Linn  an  specific  character,  cauda  a/iice 
concolorey  but  in  by  far  the  greatest  number  the  hai»  at  the 
end  of  the  tail  were  terminated  with  black. 

A  single  individual  of  the  sooty  variety  was  taken  in  Novem- 
ber, a  female,  agreeing  with  that  described  by  Dr.  Richardson,* 
except  that  it  approached  more  nearly  the  size  of  the  other 
variety.  Penna  it,  in  his  jlrctic  Zoology ^  considers  this  a  dis- 
tinct species;  aid  it  has  been  described, in  Shaw's  Zoology  and 
M'Kenzie's  Tnvelsy  under  the  name  of  Canu  Fuliginoaua :  its 
identity  with  the  Arctic  Fox  is,  however,  now  tolerably  well 
established. 

In  confirmation  of  what  O  Fabricius  says  on  the  subject,  I 
was  informed  by  Lieutenant  C.  Holboll  (an  officer  of  the  Danish 
navy,  who  had  resided  in  Greenland  between  two  and  three 
years,  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  subjects  of  Natural  History,) 
that  he  had  taken  from  the  same  litter  four  whelps  of  the  sooty, 
and  four  of  the  w  lite  kind. 

The  only  three  specimens  of  the  sooty  variety  which  have 
falleh  under  my  observation  were,  as  described  by  Dr.  Richard- 
son, "of  an  uniform  blackish  brown  colour;"  we  may  add  that 
a  slight  purple  lustre  is  observable  in  recent  specimens  only, 
and  by  a  peculiar  shade  of  light.  The  mixture  of  short  dark 
and  white  hairs  in  the  face  gives  it  a  ferocity  of  expression  very 
different  from  that  of  the  while  variety. 


traps, 
Jin  con- 
Ikindest 
le  to  the 
^r  about 
rt  darV 


3.  Arvioola  Hudsonia.    Hudton's  Buy  Lemming. 

The  peculiar  formation  of  the  fore-claws  of  this  animal,  which 
distinguishes  it  from  its  congenors,  has  been  ably  pointed  out 
by  Captain  Sabine,  in  his  Appendix  to  Parry's  first  voyage. 
They  were  but  rarely  met  with  during  the  present  voyage,  and 
only  two  were  caught.  Their  tracks  were  sometimes  seen 
during  the  winter,  showing  that  they  occasionally  venture  from 
their  burrows,  even  in  the  coldest  season  of  the  year. 

*  Appendix  to  Pabht's  Second  Voyage,  p.  302. 


t 


* 


\t* 


w.^ 


168 


APPENDIX. 


4.  Lepus  glaoialis.     Polar  Hare.  • 

Abundant  on  the  south  shore  of  Barrow's  Strait;  and  at 
Port  Bowen  they  were  occasionally  seen  during  the  winter, 
where  thfee  were  shot.  They  differed  from  those  described  by 
Captain  Sabine  in  the  Appendix  to  Parry's  first  voyage,  in 
having  the  ears  exactly  the  same  length  as  the  head,  and  the 
whiskers  perfectly  white.  ,         - 

5.  Cervus  TARANDUs,     Reiti  Deer^ 

Was  rarely  met  with  during  the  present  voyage.  Two  were 
shot  on  the  north  shore  of  Barrow's  Strait,  near  Cape  Warren- 
der,  and  a  few  others  were  seen  on  the  coast  of  North  Somerset. 

'  ■   •  6.  Phoca  FCETiDA.     Rough  Seal.       '  '"      •" 

A  YOUNG  animal  of  this  species,  agreeing  w^ith  the  descrip- 
tions of  authors  as  having  attained  one  year  old,  was  shot  at 
Port  Bowen  in  June,  1825. 

Besides  this  species,  which  was  very  numerous  in  the  bays 
along  the  eastern  shore  of  Regent's  Inlet,  the  P.  barbata  and  P. 
Grenlandica  were  seen  in  considerable  numbers  on  the  packed 
ice  of  Davis'  Strait  and  Baffin's  Bay ;  but  none  were  shot.    . 


fii'i". 


7.  Bal^ena  mysticetus.     Black  Whalcy 


Was  rarely  seen  in  the  course  of  our  progress  through  the 
ice  in  Baffin's  Bay ;  but  in  Prince  Regent's  Inlet  they  were  found 
in  considerable  numbers.  A  young  whale  was  killed  in  June, 
1825,  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  the  ships  with  oil.  By  means 
of  powerful  purchases,  it  was  drawn  up  on  the  fixed  ice,  and 
stripped  of  its  blubber.  This  process  had  scarcely  been  com- 
pleted, when  the  ice  broke  adrift  and  floated  off  with  the  car- 
cass; thus  preventing  any  further  examination,  which  might 
have  afforded  some  very  interesting  information. 


,t* 


% 


I 


¥ 


1^ 


ZOOLOGY. 


16i) 


8.  MoNQDON  MONOCRR08.     JVdrwhal. 


in 


Very  tiumerous  in  Baffin's  Bay  and  Prince  Regent's  Inlet, 
but  none  were  killed.  The  head  and  horn  of  one  was  found 
above  high-water  mark  at  the  head  of  Port  Neill.  The  horn 
measured  8  feet,  and  at  the  base  was  8  inches  in  circumference, 
gradually  tapering  to  a  fine  point,  completing  8  spiral  turns 
from  the  base  to  the  tip.  It  was  very  solid,  except  about.five 
or  six  inches  from  the  base,  and  weighed  1 5^  lbs. 

In  the  head  the  rudiments  of  the  second  horn,  mentioned  by 
Fabricius  and  Cuvier,  were  not  discernible. 

Besides  the  eight  species  of  Mammalia  above  enumerated, 
the  delfihinafiterua  beluga,  or  white  whale,  was  seen  in  great 
numbers  along  the  shores  of  North  Somerset  and  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Jackson's  Inlet.  The  trichecua  roamarusy  or  walrus, 
was  also  occasionally  met  with ;  but  as  none  of  either  species 
were  taken,  no  additional  information  has  been  obtained. 


'.^"♦.■»  * 


'*!>!.       I 


the 

[bund 

[June, 

keans 

and 

Icom- 

car- 

light 


BIRDS.  1 

The  second  edition  of  M.  Temminck's  Manuel  d* Omithologie 
has  been  followed,  both  in  the  arrangement  and  generic  nan  es 
used  by  him,  with  a  single  exception  j  and  the  following  authors 
are  occasionally  referred  to : —    .  .   ,    ,,.„,  ,         .  ;' 


.'t'. 


'-#: 


Gmelin,  Syttema  JV*a(ur«  lAnruti. 

Fabricii,  Fauna  Gratnlandica. 

Latham's  Index  Omithologicut. 

Latham's  General  Synoprit  of  Bird*.  *^' 

Pennant's  Arctic  Zoology. 

Pennant's  Britith  Zoology,  2nd  Edition. 

Sabine's  Memoir  on  the  Birds  of  Greenland. 

Sabine,  in  Supplement  to  Parry's  First  Voyage, 

Sabine's  Appendix  to  Franklin's  Journey. 

Richardson's  Appendix  to  Parry's  Second  Voyage 


|v! 


u.f 


^ 


-s 


m 


170 


APF£NI>1X. 


1.  Falco  IsLANDicus.     JerfulcQu; 


Faico  Islandiciis.     Gmel.  i.  p.  27,5,    Lath.  Ind.  Or:*.  •. 

17.     Greeiil.  Birds,  No.  1. 
White  Jerfalcon.    Lath.  Syn.  i.  p.  83,  and  Supp.  p.  31< 


52, 


Temm,  p 


This  bird,  of  ^vhich  but  a  solitary  individual  had  been  met 
■with  during  the  three  former  voyages,  was  seen  frequently 
during  the  present.  A  pair,  in  mature  summer  plumage,  flew 
past  the  ship  in  September,  1824,  in  Uancaster  Sound,  corres- 
ponding with  the  descriptions  6f  authors  above  quoted.  An- 
other, which  was  seen  in  September,  1825,  in  lat.  74°.  N.,  on 
the  return  of  the  expedition  to  Baffin's  Bay,  accorded  nearly 
with  the  description  of  the  young  bird'  in  Temminck's  Manuely 
p.  18,  and  commonly  knoWn  as  the/a/co  gyrfaUo  of  Gmel.  i.  p. 
275,  and  Lath.  Ind.  Orn.  i.  p.  32.  •      ^^^ 

2.  Strix  nyctea.     Snoii^y  Owl.  '  <■ 

Strix  nyctea.     Gmel.  i.  p.  291.    Lath.  Ind.  Orn.  i.  p.  57.  Temm.  p.  82. 

Fabr.  p.  60.      Supp.  to  Parry's  First  Voyage,  p.  cxciii.    App.  to 

Parry's  Second  Voyage,  p.  342. 
Snowy  Owl,  and  White  Owl.    .Irct.  Zoo/,  ii.  p.  233.   Lath.  Syn.  t.p'.  152. 

Was  rarely  seen,  and  none  were  shot.  The  half  of  one  was 
found  near  Port  Bowcn,  the  remaining  part  having,  as  we  sup- 
posed, been  devoured  by  a  fox,  who  left  us  nothing  but  the 
head  and  right  side  of  his  victim.  This  individual,  as  well  as 
the  few  others  which  have  been  seen,  were  all  in  the  state  of 
plumage  described  by  Fabricius ;  but  none  of  the  mature  birds, 
described  by  Temminck  and  others  as  being  of  a  pure  white» 
have  ever,  been  observed  on  either  of  the  voyages.  Fabricius 
mentions  that  they  are  frequently  found  dead. 

« 

*  3.  CoRvus  coRAX.     Raven. 

Corvtis  Corax.     Gmel.  i.  p.  364.    Lath.  Ind.  Orn.  i.  p.  150.     Temm.  p. 

107.     fair.  p.  62.    .^pp.  to  Parry's  Second  Voyage,  p.  543. 
Raven.    LtUh.  Syn,  i.  p.  367.    .Arct  Zool.  ii.  p.  245. 


iv 


f 


# 


*f  # 


m 


^  i 


200LOGY. 


171 


Has  been  found  in  the  most  northern  parts  of  the  Arctic 
regions  visited  by  the  expeditions.  A  pair  took  up  their  winter 
residence  in  the  high  cliffs  of  Port  Bowen,  and  occasionally  ap- 
proached the  ships  in  search  of  food. 

During  the  winter  they  were  frequently  observed  to  have  a 
white  ring  round  the  neck,  caused  by  the  accumulated  encrust- 
ments  of  the  vapour  of  their  own  breath,  and  giving  them  a  very 
singular  appearance. 

Winter  produced  no  effect  on  their  plumage,  nor  did  they  dif- 
fer in  any  respect  from  the  European  bird.      *  »    .         t 

4.  Pleotrophanes  Lapponica.    (Meyer.)    Lafiland  Finch. 

Emberiza  calcar&ta.     Temm.  p.  322>    ^pp.  to  Parrft  Second  Voyage,  p. 

345. 
FHn^illa  Lapponica.     GmeU  i.  p.  900.    LatL  Ind.  Om.  i.  p.  440.    Fabn 

p.  119. 
r.apland  finch,    ^rct.  2ool.  ii.  p.  377. 

In  the  midst  of  the  confusion  which  prevails  to  this  day  in  re- 
spect to  the  arrangement  of  this  bird,  the  experience  which  the 
late  voyages  have  afforded  induces  me  to  adopt  that  of  M. 
Meyer. 

I  am  unable,  in  this  instance,  to  actodc  to  the  opinion  of  M. 
Tcmminck  in  arranging  it  with  the  snow-bunting,  because  in  its  • 
habits  it  differs  essentially  from  it,  while  its  external  characters 
separate  it  most  decidedly  from  emberiza.  Both  in  its  characters 
as  well  as  habits,  it  unquestionably  agrees  more  nearly  with  the 
lark  than  with  any  other  known  genus.  It  has  the  long  hind  nail  of 
ihc  latter;  like  it,  it  soars  in  the  air,  sings  most  sweetly  on  the 
wing,  and  invariably  rests  or  runs  upon  the  ground,  never  alight- 
ing upon  prominences  like  the  snow-bunting,  which  will  fly 
iVom  stone  to  stone,  chirping  like  many  others  of  its  congeners. 

The  form  of  its  bill,  however,  and  the  acuminate  shape  of 
its  wings,  exclude  it  from  the  genus  alauda  ;  and  as  it  cannot 
with  propriety  be  placed  in  any  other,  the  necessity  of  forming 
A  new  genus,  intermediate  between  the  lark  and  bunting,  seems 
sufficiently  imperative.  .    ,       ^      \  ^   ,' 


If 


)• 


# 


»■     ,<• 


w 


W 


172 


APPENDIX. 


|!i  .', 


It  H 


If 


They  arc  more  rarely  met  with  than  the  snow-bunting,  arriv- 
ing later  and  returning  to  the  southward  sooner,  as  has  been 
observed  by  O,  Fabricius. 

The  very  accurate  and  piinute  description  of  this  bird  by  Dr. 
Richardson  and  M.  Temminck,  as  above  quoted,  render  any 
further  remark  unnecessary. 

» 

5   Emuicriza  nivalis.     Snow-bunting. 

Emberizft  nivalis.  Gmel.  i.  p.  866.  ImIH.  Ind.  Orn.  i.  p.  397.  'Femm, 
p.  319.  Fabr.  p.  117.  Greenl.  Birdi,  No.  5.  Jpp.  to  Parry's 
Second  fotiaffe,  p.  343. 

Siiow-buntingf.  Jiril.  Zoo/,  i.  p.  444.  .^rct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  355.  Lath.  Syn. 
iii.  p.  161. 

Although  it  has  become  necessary  to  form  a  new  genus  for 
the  proper  arrangement  of  the  Lapland  finch,  I  can  by  no  means 
agree  with  M.  Meyer  in  placing  the  snow-bunting  in  it.  Its  ex- 
ternal characters  referring  it,  without  doubt,  to  the  genus  ewbe- 
ri'ra,  a  slight  dissimilarity  of  habits  is  certainly  not  sufHcient  to 
remove  it  from  a  place  it  has  so  long  undisputcdjy  held  in  the 
system.  M.  Temminck  has  formed  of  these  two  birds  a  second 
section,  differing  from  the  buntings,  properly  so  called,  in  hav- 
ing "  I'ongle  dcrricre  long,  foiblement  arquc."  In  this  there 
must  be  some  mistuke  ;  the  hind  nail  of  the  snow-bunting  is 
neither  longer  nor  straighter  than  ntany  of  its  congeners,  for 
instance,  the  E.  citrimlla. 

They  were  always  amongst  the  first  birds  that  returned  in 
the  spring;  their  earliest  arrival  was  about  the  middle  of  April, 
thus  preceding  till  others,  exc«'pt  the  grouse,  by  nearly  a  month 
We  found  tliem  bleeding  at  the  Whale-fish  lslan<ls  early  in 
July,  and  a  nest  with  six  eggs  was  brought  on  l)oard  by  one  ol 
lh«'  officers :  it  was  formed  of  dried  grass,  a>»d  lined  with  fea- 
thers, which  were  covered  with  a  fine  white  down.  The  eggs 
were  of  a  cream  colour,  thickly  covered  with  small  reddish 
brown  marks  and  spots. 

6.  TrrnAO  Rti'ESTRis.     Rock  (irnuse. 

Tetrao  rupcciriH.  f;m«/.  i.  p.  751.  //O/A. /ni/,  Orn.  ii.  p.  640.  Supp.tJ 
Purry't  Firnl  l'oyHere,p,  cxcv.  .1pp.  to  Putry'i  Second  Voyage,  p. 
348. 

Rock  Grouse.    .1rc(,  Zool.  ii.  No.  184.     Lath.  Syn.  Supp.  p.  217. 


r»        % 


ZOOLOGY. 


173 


Vw 


,  arriV' 
IS  been 

by  Dr. 
Jer  any 

.     Temm, 

0  Parry'B 

Lath.  Syn. 

;enus  for 
no  means 
,     Its  ex- 
rius  etnbe- 
fficienl  to 
:ld  in  the 
J  a  secoud 
d,  in  ha\- 
Lhis  there 
junting  is 
jfcners,  lor 

elurned  in 
oof  April, 
y  a  month 
Is  early  in 

1  by  one  ol 
]  with  fea- 

The  eggs 
iU  reddish- 


j40.    Supp.  f> 
ml  Voyage,  p. 


Sk.vehal  birds  of  this  species  were  shot  at  Port  Dowen  in 
October,  1 824,  in  perfect  winter  plumage.  In  these  individuals, 
the  iemale  birds  were  marked  with  the  black  line  from  the  beak, 
through  the  eye,  as  s.rongly  as  the  males;  and  a  mark  which,. 
I  believe,  has  hitherto  been  considered  peculiar  to  the  male  bird. 

On  their  return  in  March  they  were  still  in  perfect  winter 
plumage,  and  the  black  line  through  the  eye  of  both  the  male 
and  female  birds  was  as  conspicuous  as  in  those  shot  in  the 
autumn.  It  was,  however,  afterwards  found  jn  the  females  in 
every  stage  of  obliteration  as  the  season  ad>  anced  ;  and  in  the 
last  few  \^hich  were  shot,  near  the  end  of  May,  it  had  wholly  dis- 
appeared, agreeing  then  with  Captain  Sabine's  description  of 
birds  killed  at  Melville  Island  a^out  the  same  period  of  the  year. 
In  some  of  these  last  few  the  summer  plumage  was  beautifully 
and  distinctly  seen,  by  rcinoving  the  winter  covering,  which 
only  partially  concealed  it,  and  had  not  yet  moulted. 

Captain  Sabine,  in  the  work  al)ove  referred  to,  has  already 
pointed  out  characters  by  which  this  and  the  two  followiui^ 
species  can  be  distinguished  from  each  other  in  their  various 
plumages.  . 


7.  Tetrao  laoopus.     Ptarmigan. 


Tetrao1af»opus.     Gmel.  i.  p.  749.     Lath.  Intl.  Orn.  ii.  p.  639.  Fubr.  p.  114. 

Supp.  to  Parry't  Firtt  Voyage,  p.  cxcvii.    Jlpp.  to  Parry't  5ec»nrf 

V9yaff0,p.35O.  *    .       ' 

PtAtmigan.    ^rct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  315.     Lalh.  Syn.'tv.  p.  741. 

Was  shot  at  Port  Rowen  as  late  in  the  year  as  the  16th  of  No- 
vember, 1824,  in  company  with  the  7'.  a/Au«,  and  returned  from 
the  south  about  the  middl-  of  March,  continuiufr  \  t  arrive  in 
considerable  numbers  until  i    arly  the  end  of  April. 

During  the  last  week  in  March  about  sixty  birds  of  this 
species  were  shot,  in  which,  as  in  the  preceding  specios,  no  dif- 
fennre  could  be  discerned  in  the  plumage  of  the  male  and  female, 
the  l)lutk  band  througli  the  eye  bt^ng  equally  distinct  in  both. 
I  hiid  the  opportunity  of  examining  between  twenty  and  thirty 
female  birds  in  a  more  advanced  period  of  the  st'uson,  snowiuj; 


\ 


9r 


3:^ 


i\ 


I 


171 


APPENDIX. 


it  in  difteient  degrees  of  distinctness,  and  subsequently  many 
from  which  it  had  totally  disappeared. 

After  the  very  marked  succession  of  appearances,  which  I 
have  been  enabled  to  follow  through  above  two  hundred  indivi- 
duals, I  can  entertain  no  doubt  of  every  female  of  both  this  and 
the  preceding  species  being  marked  with  the  black  band  through 
the  eye  as  strongly  as  the  male  in  the  winter  season  and  in  high 
northern  latitudes.  Fabricius  mentions  that  in  the  winter  time, 
in  Greenland,  the  rudiments  of  this  mark  were  observable  on 
the  foinulc  l)ird. 

Ni'arly  all  the  birds  of  this  species  had  fourteen  black  and 
two  superincumbent  white  feathers  on  the  tail;  but  occasional 
individuals  were  found  with  sixteen  black  and  the  two  superin- 
cumbent while  leathers,  which  evidently  shows  that  the  number 
of  tail  feathers  can  never  be  used  as  a  specific  distinction,  and 
in  sonre  measure  accounts  for  the  difference  of  opinion  amongst 
authors  on  this  subject. 

There  is  also  a  remarkable  peculiarity  in  the  anatomy  of  this 
bird,  which  merits  a  passing  notice.  In  all  the  gallinaceous 
tribe,  the  intostina  cxca  are  very  large,  but  in  this  bird  they  are 
much  nioie  extensive  than,  I  believe,  in  any  of  the  others. 
Originating  about  five  inches  from  the  vent,  they  follow  all  the 
convolutions  of  the  direct  canal  to  rather  more  than  two-thirds 
of  its  length,  and  terminate  in  a  white  blunt  point,  perfectly  un- 
ronnected  with  any  part  of  the  intestines  for  about  two  inches 
iVom  the  end.  The  whole  of  the  rest  of  the  cxca  are  joined  to 
the  direct  gut  by  a  strong  and  very  vascular  mesenteric  mem- 
brane. I  am  uot  aware  whether  either  the  preceding  or  I'oilow- 
ing  species  are  the  same,  not  having  had  an  opportunity  of  ex- 
amining tlu'in  after  1  observed  it  in  this  species.  In  the  com- 
mon partridge  of  Kngiand,  the  cxca  arc  only  about  one-third  the 
length  of  the  main  gut.  Their  use,  in  the  economy  of  the  bird, 
lias  yet  to  be  determined  by  the  physiologist. 

8.  Trthao  Ai.BUS.      Willow  Pariridtre.  | 

Tetraoulbui.     Gmet,  i.  p.  750.     Lath.  Iml.  Om.  ii.  p.6J9. 
'I'ctrao  8J\liccti.      7Vm»n.  p.  471.     •■*//>.  lo  I'YankUn'i  Jouvi^^y,  p.  681. 
-^pp.  lo  farry'i  SfconU  Vitynije,  p.  347.         |^  .. 

Willow  I'urlridgc.     Ue.nne'g  7'rair/#,.p.  3J8, 
White  Urouie.    Lafh.  Hj/n.  ir.  p,  743.    ^rct,  X99I,  ii.  p,  30i. 


^  Vft-'* 


^M 


ZOOLOGY- 


17: 


Was  rarely  met  with  during  the  present  voyage,  and  but  few 
were  shot.  I'he  two  preceding  species  retire  late  in  the  autumn 
to  the  southward  to  winter;  but  this  bird  has  been  found  in  very 
high  north  latitudes  throughout  the  year.  On  this  occasion 
they  were  shot  in  every  winter  month  except  January  ;  and  at 
Igloolik,  where  they  were  more  numerous,  they  were  occasion- 
ally seen  throughout  the  winter ;  which  shows  that,  although 
probably  the  greatest  number  of  them  migrate  further  south, 
yet  many  remain.  The  colour  of  the  birds  corresponding  so 
pcrfertly  with  the  snow,  in  which  they  bury  themselves  to  a 
level  with  its  surface,  renders  it  very  difficult  to  distinguish 
them,  and  accounts  in  some  measure  for  so  few  having  been 
shot. 

Those  which  wore  killed  during  the  winter  were  found  to  be 
in  excellent  condition ;  their  crops  contained  principally  the 
seed-vessels  of  the  aaxifraga  o/i/ioaitifolia. 

M.  Temminck  has  thought  proper  to  change  the  name  of 
this  bird  to  T.  aaliceti^  for  reasons  which  do  not  appear  to  me 
sufiiciently  obvious;  I  have  therefore  ventured  to  employ  that 
which  it  received  from  Linnxus,  and  l)y  which  it  has  been  suffi- 
ciently well  distinguished  by  almost  every  other  modern  author 

9.  TkINT.A  MAR1TI.MA. 

Tringfa  maritima.     Cm<«i'.  i.  p.  678.     Lath*lHd.  Orn.\i,  \>.  72\.     Trmm 
p.  6iy.     Greenl.  Birds,  No.  7.     Supp.  to  Parry'*  First  Voyage,  p.cci 
Striated  Sandpiper.    Arct.  Zeot.  ii.  p.  472.    Lath.  St/n.  v.  p.  176. 

Did  not  arrive  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Port  Bowen  until  early 
in  June  ;  at  that  time  the  birds  ol'  one  year  old  were  found  in 
the  same  flocks  with  the  mature  birds. 

They  differ  in  no  respect  from  the  English  bird.  "^ 

*  • 

10.  Charadri'js  pluvialis.     Golden  Plover. 

Charadrius  pluvialia.     OmW.  i.  p.  688.     Z^ifA. /nd.  Om.  ii.  p.  740.    Temn, 

p.  535. 
Golden  Plover.    .Arct.  Zttl.  ii.  p.  483,  No.  399. 


i 


AnnivED   in  their  winter  plumage  at  Port  Bowen  about  thr 


\' 


m 


17|i 


.VPP£MDIX. 


middle  oi*  May.  lu  the  course  of  the  season  they  were  shot  in 
every  state  of  change,  to  their  perfect  summer  plumage ;  in 
which  state  they  are  the  C.  afiricariu$  of  authors. 


11.  Phalabopos  HYPERBOREUS,     Red  Phalorofie, 

i'halaropus  hyperboreus.    Lath.  Ind.  Orn.  ii.  p.  776,    Temm.  p.  7Q9, 

Greenl.  Birdi,  No.  11. 
Ued  Phalarope.     Brit.  Zool.  ii.  p.  125.    ,^rct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  494. 

A  SMALL  flock  of  these  birds  alighted  under  the  lee  of  the  ship, 
during  a  strong  breeze  of  wind,  and  were  so  fearless  of  danger 
as  to  approach  within  a  few  yards  of  her,  feeding  on  small 
shrimps,  which  were  seen  in  great  numbers.  At  this  time  wc 
were  sixty  miles  from  the  nearest  land,  (Disco.) 

We  found  them  breeding  at  Whale-hsh  Islands,  but  saw  no 
more  of  them  after  leaving  the  coast  of  Greenland. 


V 


k 


12.  Phalabopus  PLATYRiUNCHUs.     Flat-billed  Phalarofie. 

Phalaropus  platyrhinchus.  Temm.  p.  712.  Oreenl.  Bird*,  No.  12. 
Supp.  to  Parry't  First  Voyage,  p.  cci.  ,App.  to  Parry't  Second 
Voyage,  p.  355. 

This  bird,  which  has  been  so  ably  extricated  by  M.  Temminck 
and  Captain  Sabine  from  the  confusion  into  which  it  had  fallen, 
was  but  rarely  met  with  during  the  present  voyage  ;  a  circum- 
stance rather  remarkable,  from  their  having  been  found  both  at 
Igloolik  to  the  southward,  and  at  Melville  Island  to  the  north- 
ward, breeding  in  great  numbers. 

The  peculiar  plumage  of  the  female  bird,  which  has  been  so 
accurately  pointed  out  by  Captain  Sabine,  makes  her  remark- 
able as  being  one  of  the  very  few  instances  in  which  the  female 
bird  is  known  to  excel  the  male  in  beauty  of  appearance. 

13.  Sterna  AROTiOA.     Arctic  Tern. 

Stem*  Arctic*.     Tetm.  p.  743.     Supp.  to  Parrv'a  Firti  Voyage,  p.  ccH. 

Jpp.  <!>  Parry't  Second  Voyage,  p.  356. 
Sterna  turundo.     Orient,  Bird;  No.  )7. 


Ic: 


/OOLOGt. . 


177 


Abundant  in  Baffin's  Bay  and  Davis'  Strait ;  but  were  only  seen, 
during  the  present  voyage,  in  the  mature  plumage  of  summer. 

*  14.  Lakus  glaucus.     Glaucoua  Gull. 

Larus  glaucus.     Gmel,  i.  p.  600.    Lath.  Ind.  Orn.  ii.  p.  814.   Fubr.  p.  100, 
,    Temm.  p.  757.      Greeiil.   Birds,  No.  19.       Supp.  to  Parry's  First 
Voyage,  p.  cciii. 
Glaucous  Gull.    Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  532.     Lath.  Syn.  vi.  p.  374. 

Some  remarkably  fine  sj>ecimens  of  this  very  magnificent  birj 
were  shot  early  in  June,  e825,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  .Port 
Bowen.  The  astonishing  size  which  these  birds,  under  certain 
circumstances,  attain,  fully  justifies  the  assertion  of  M.  Tem- 
minck,  that  they  are  the  largest  of  the  known  gulls,  although 
Captain  Sabine  has  shown,  in  the  Su/i/ilcnuvt  above  referred 
to,  that  the  average  size  of  the  L.  murinus  rather  e.Kceeds  that 
of  the  glaucus. 

The  dimensions  of  a  pair  wjiich  were  kiliod  on  the  llth  of 
June,  ijeing  the  largest  which  were  shot,  and  surpassing  any 
which  have  yet  been  recorded,  are  selected  for  insertion  here: — 


M^lc    . 
Female 


Leiifftli.  Extent.  Tiirsiis.  Heak.  Weight. 

IX.  IM.  1>.             IX.  lb.      oz. 

.    33  63  3.4          4.1  4      11 

.    31.5  65  3.4          3.y  4      7 


The  wings  of  the  male  bird  extended  more  than  an  inch  be- 
yond the  tail,  which  is  not  usually  the  case  in  this  species. 

They  were  rar«'ly  met  with  in  our  pr'xrress  un  Davis'  Strait 
and  Baffin's  Bay ;  but  were  found  in  considerable  numbers  to- 
wards the  end  of  July,  bret-ding  on  the  ledges  of  the  high  and 
pi-ecipilous  clifiV  of  the  shores  of  North  Somerset.  At  this 
time  the  young  birds  wrre,  seen  covered  ^\itl\  u  dowji  of  a  deep 

It-ad  colour. 

t        ...  tf 

15.  Lauis  auokntatus.     {/ilack'W'ntfcd)  Hilvery  gull. 

Xarus  arjjciitat.i*     (Imd.  i.  p.  6Ut).     Tenm.  p.  7C4.    .1pp.  to  Pai'n/i 
w       Hccjnd  >  <*»/«?■<•  p.  358. 
Silvcrv  Gull.     .1  :     f.ool.  ii,  p.  533.     Lath.  Sm.  vi.  p.  375. 


't  ■■■*" 


.1 


/ 


m 


I    ! 


>/ 


178 


APPENDIX. 


All  the  birds  of  this  species  which  were  shot  during  the  pre- 
sent voyage,  had  the  usual  dark  markings  on  the  flag-leathers 
of  the  wings.  An  immature  bird,  killed  in  July,  was  marked  by 
a  broad  band  across  the  tail,  of  a  dark  brown  colour,  mixed 
with  small  white  spots  near  the  extremity.  Spurious  wing, 
and  primary  covertures,  marked  longitudinally  with  the  samr 
colour;  in  every  other  respect  it  agreed  perfectly  with  M. 
Tcmminck's  description  of  the  mature  bird  in  summer- 
None  of  the  variety  described  by  Captain  Sabine,  in  the 
Memoir  on  the  Birds  of  Greenland,  were  shot;  and  if  any  were 
seen,  they  were  mistaken  for  the  preceding  species,  which  they 
so  nearly  resemble. 


h 


<&■■  .   M 


16.  Lahus  EBUUNKCS.     Ivory  Gull. 

I.aruB  cburnciis.     Owe',  i.  p.  596.     Luth.  Ltd.  Orn.  ii.  p.  816,     Temm, ' 
p.  76y.     Greenl.  Jiirth,  No.  21.     Supp.  t'i  Parry's  Firtt   Voyage,  p. 
cciv. 

Ivory  Gull.     Arct.  7moL  ii.  p.  529.    *L-Mi.  Sijn.  vi.  p.  377. 

Very  numerous  in  Davis'  Strait  and  Baffin's  Bay.  They  were 
obtained  in  every  variety  of  plumage,  IVom  the  young  to  '.he 
mature  bird.  The  p'  niugc  of  the  bird  of  the  first  year  is  dc- 
scril)ed  by  M.  Tenirr  Jiick,  as  above  referred  to,  with  minute  pre- 
cision, and  that  of  tlie  second  yt-ar  by  Captain  Sabine,  in  the 
Memoir  on  the  Jiirda  of  Greenland  above  quoted. 

The  naked  circle  rnuiid  the  eye  is,  in  the  young  bird,  of  a 
dark  brown  colour,  in  which  a  very  slight  tinge  of  red  is  ol)ser- 
val)le:  as  the  bird  advances  towards  maturity,  the  red  is  found 
to  j)revail,  anil  tl.e  o.d  bird  is  of  a  dull  red  colour.  This,  I 
ima!:;ine,  is  not  the  case  until  the  fourth  year;  for  many  birds, 
jn  mature  plumage,  were  found  with  this  very  much  obscured. 
Of  about  seventy  examined  by  me,  only  six  were  found  to  have 
the  red  circle  unmixed  with  biown. 

Average  length  of  the  male,  ly  iitches,  female  18,  and  younp: 
bird  17  inches;  tarsus  1.5 


.«!: 


ZOOLOGY. 


17!> 


17.  LAnus  THIDACTYLU3.     Kittiwake. 

Larus  tridactylus.    Lath.  Ind.  Orn.  ii.  p.  817.    Temm.  p.  774.    Fabr.  p. 

98.     Green/.  Birdx,  No.  22. 
Kittiwake.   Jlrct.  'loot,  ii,  p.  529.    Jirit.  Zool.  ii.  p.  186.    Lath.  Syn  vi 

p.  393. 

By  far  the  most  numerous  of  the  gull  tribe  inhabiting  that 
portion  of  the  Arctic  Hegions  which  has  been  visited  by  the 
iate  Expeditions.  They  were  found  breeding  on  the  shores  of 
North  Somerset  in  great  numbers.  Large  flocks  of  immature 
birds  were  seen  on  the  return  of  the  Expedition  to  the  south  in 
September  1825,  attended  by  the  leatria  /lomarinua  in  consider- 
able numbers.  • 


18.  Lestris  parasiticus.     Arctic  Leatria. 


I.estris  p<irasiticiis.     Temm.  p.  796. 

I^urry'a  Urif  Vayage,  p.  ccvi. 

p  361. 
Larus  parasiticus.     GmW.  i.p.  601. 
Arctic  Gull.     Jlrct.  Zeol.  ii.  p.  530. 

vi.  p.  3«9. 


GreenI,  Birds,  No.  24.     Svpp.  to 
App.  to  Parry's  Second  Voyage, 

Lath.  Ind.  Otn.  ii.  p.  819. 

lirit.  Zool.  ii,  p.  179.     Lath.  Sun. 


'    19.  Lestris  pomarinus.     Pomarine  Leatria. 

Lestris  pomarinus.     Temm.  p.  793.     Svpp.  to  Parry's  First  Vuyage,  p. 
ccvi.    jipp.  to  Parry's  Second  Voyage,  p.  361. 

Many  of  those  birds  were  seen  at  the  VVhale-fish  Islands  early 
m  July ;  where  it  is  prot)able  they  breed. 

It  is  sonittwhot  remarkable  ihat  it  should  have  escaped  the 
notice  of  Fabririus;  yet  it  is  hardly  [)ossibk"  that  he  could  have 
confounded  it  with  the  preceding  species,  altnough  some 
authors  have  hvvn  led  into  this  mistake  by  not  having  seen 
specimens  of  both.  I  i'.m  not  uware  of  its  ever  having  yet  been 
enumerated  amongst  tl»c  birds  of  Greenland,  although  they 
were  seen  by  us  in  consid('ral)le  numbers  whilst  ofl' that  coast. 

Their  mode  of  living  is  .limilar  to  that  of  the  /laraateicua, 
whit  h  accounts  for  their  being  found  ((instant  attendants  on 
rhe  Bocks  of  young  kiitiwakcs,  as  ntready  mentioned.    Tln-y 


k 


.:  ^%'^- 


\i 


If 


i^o 


APPENDIX. 


are  more  numerous  than  the.  fiarasiticus,  and  undergo  similar 
changes  of  phimage,  IVom  ihc  nest  to  maturity. 

20.  PuocKLLARiA  GLAfiAMs.     Fulinar  Petrel. 

rroccllarin  {jlaci:>lis.     Gmcl,  i.  p.  562.    Lath.  Intl.  Orn.  ii.  p.  823.    Temm. 

p.  802.     Fabv.  p.  86. 
Fulmar  I'etrel.     iMth.  Syn.  iv.  p.  403.     .^ret.  Zool.  ii.  p.  534.     Brit. 

Zool.  ii.  p.  203.  ,  •         ; 


:}i 


!* 


I  21.  Anas  sPECTABins.     King  Duck. 

Anas  spectabilis.     Gwf/.  i,  p.  507.     //0//«. //irf.  Orn.  ii.  p.  485.     Temm. 

p.  851.     Fnbr.  p.  63. 
King  Duck.     Brit.  Zool.  ii.  p.  246.    Jlrct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  554.     Lath.  Si/n.  vi, 

P-473.        ,     .  .  ,-,  - 

This  and  the  two  Ibllowing  species  of  ducks  arrived  in  great 
numbers  early  in  June,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Port  Bowen. 
Few  were  shot,  for  as  the  season  advanced  they  proceeded 
northward,  to  the  islands,  to  breed. 


22.  Anas  moi.lissima.     Eider  Duck. 

Anas  mollissima.     Gmel.  i.  p.  514,     Lath.  Intl.   Orn.  ii.  p.  845.     Fabr. 

p.  68.     Temm.  p.  848. 
Killer  Duck.     Jirit.  Zool.  ii.  p.  243.     .Irct.  Zool.  ii  p.  553.    Lath.  Sm. 

vi.  p.  4ro. 


23.  Anas  ulacialis.     Long-tailed  Dtick. 


«u* 


Anas  glacialig.     Gmel.  i.  p.  529.     J,ulh,  Lid.  Orn.  ii.  p.  864.     Temm. 

p.  860. 
Long-tailed  Duck.     Jivit.  Zool.  ii.  p.  268.    .^rct.  Z»ol.  il.  p.  566.  iMth. 

Si/n,  vi.  p.  528. 

24.  CoLYMBus  BEPTKNTHlONAtJs.     Red-throated  Diver. 


t;olymbus  8eptentrionali.s.     (imeh  i.  p.  586.     /^i</«. /«</.  Orn.  ii.  p.  801. 

Fabr.  p.  94.     Temm.  p.  916.      Greenl.  Birds,  No.  16. 
Rcd-thruated  Diver.      liiH.  Zool.  li.  p.  109.      Arcl.  Zool.  ii.  p.  520 

l.ath,  Syn.  vi.  p.  344, 


ZOOLOGY. 


IS\ 


A  siffOLE  individual,  which  was  shot  at  the  Whale-fish  Islands, 
agreed  perfectly  with  the  description  of  authors.  It  was  rare- 
ly seen  afterwards.        '    "  '•  ;  •  .  '      ,  :' 


25.  Uria  Brunnichh.     Brunttic/i'a  Guillemot. 

Uria  Brunnichii.  Greenl.  Birds,  No.  14.  Temm.  p.  924.  Supp,  to 
Parry't  First  Voyage,  p.  ccix.  .1pp.  to  Parrt/'s  Second  Voyage,  p. 
277. 

Were  found  breeding  at  the  Whale-fish  Islands,  in  considera- 
ble numbers,  early  in  July.  They  agreed  in  every  particular 
with  the  description  given  in  the  Memoir  on  the  Dirda  of  Green- 
land above  quoted,  except  that  the  mark  on  the  upper  mandi- 
ble was,  in  all  the  individuals  I  have  seen,  of  a  greenish  yel- 
low. 

They  arrived  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Port  Bowen  early  in 
June,  and  were  found  in  company  with  the  three  preceding 
species  of  ducks.  At  this  time  several  were  shot  with  the 
throat  and  neck  perfectly  white,  in  others  the  feathers  on  these 
parts  were  black  tipped  with  white,  giving  them  a  mottled  ap- 
pearance ;  but  in  the  greatest  number  they  were  in  perfect 
summer  plumage.  This  is  sufficient  to  shew  that  they  im- 
dergo  similar  changes  from  season  as  the  U.  troile^  as  had  been 
anticipated.  ••  * .  .     • 


26.  Uria  orym.e.     hlark  Guillemot. 

Uria  grylle.     Lath.  Ind.  Orn,  ii.  p.  797.    Fabr.  p.  92.     Temm.  p.  935. 

Greenl.  Birds,  No.  15.     Supp.  to  Parry's  First  Voyage,   p.   ccix. 

..^pp.  to  Parry's  Second  Voyage,  p.  377. 
Black  Guillemot.     Brit.  Zoot.  ii.  p.  163.  Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  516.    Lath, 

5yn.  vi.  p.  332.        .    •        •  ,        j,.        ,   '       ;    4 

Abundant  in  all  parts  of  the  Arctic  Regions  visited  by  the  Ex- 
peditions. *  • , 

27.  Uria  ali.e.     Little  ./Ink.  .        ' 


Uria  alle.     Temm,  p,  928, 


182 


APPKNDIX. 


Alca  alle.     Gmel.  i.  p.  554.    Lath.  Ini.  Om.  ii.  p-  795.    idftr.  p.  84. 

Greenl.  Bird;  No.  13. 
Little  Auk.     Brit.  Zool.  ii.No.  233.    ^rct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  512.    Lath.  St/n. 

V.  p.  32r.  • 

♦ 

Large  flocks  of  these  birds  were  met  with  in  the  northern 
parts  of  Baffin's  Bay,  whither  they  resort  in  vast  numbers  to 
breed. 

They  agreed  with  Temminck's  description,  cxcfpt  that  the 
small  white  dot  above  the  eye  has  escaped  his  notice.  An  in- 
divi  ual,  shot  in  September,  had  the  cheeks,  chin,  and  upper 
part  of  the  throat  perfectly  white,  breast  and  lower  part  of  the 
throat  mottled  with  black  and  white,  the  feathers  on  these 
parts  being  black  tipped  with  white;  in  other  respects  agree- 
ing with  the  description  of  birds  in  their  mature  summer  plu- 
mage. There  is  no  difference  in  the  plumage  of  the  young  and 
mature  bird,  as  has  been  asserted.    * 

■    '   •*  -       .  ■  ■  '  •     • 

28.  Mormon  fratercula.     Puffin  Auk. 

'     •  V 

Mormon  fratercula.     Temm.  p.  933.    •••  •'     .     ,      »'       ' 

Alca  Arctica.     Gmel.  i.  p.  549.  Lath.  Ind.  Om.  ii.  p.  792.    Fahr.  p.  83. 
Puffin  Auk.    Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  511.     Lath.  Syn.  v.  p.  314. 

Abundant  at  the  Whale-fisli  Islands,  where  they  were  found 
early  in  July,  breeding  in  holes  in  the  most  precipitous  and  in- 
accessible situations  near  the  sea.  The  few  which  were  shot 
agreed  stifficiently  with  the  description  of  authors.  They 
were  not  seen  by  us  after  leaving  the  coast  of  Greenland. 


.    .  29.  Alca  torda.     Razor-bill  jiuk.  '  •    .  , 

Alca  torda.     Gmel.  i.  p.  551.     Lath.  Ind.  Om.  ii.  p.  793.     Temm.  p. 

'       936.     Fabr.  p.  78. 

Hazor-bill  Auk.    Arct.  Zool.  ii.  p.  509.     Lath.  Syn.  v.  p.  319. 

Amundant  on  the  ''.oast  of  Greenland.  They  were  found  in 
considerable  numberb  at  the  Whale-Ash  Islands,  breeding  in 
similar  situations  with  the  preceding  species.     All  that  were 


^ 


ZOOLOGY. 


isa 


shot  were  iu  mature  plumage,  and  agreed  perfectly  with  M. 
Temminck's  description. 
The  alca  fiica  of  Fabricius  and  other  authors  is  the  young 

of  this  bird. 

■  ,  i 


;. 


FISHES. 


1.  Ophidium  Pamhu.  '.       • 

Several  individuals  of  a  new  species  of  ofihidiuni  were  found 
in  Baffin's  Bay  and  Prince  Regent's  Iidet,  swimming  about 
pieces  of  ice  which  had  been  much  ^  tn  by  the  action  of  the 
sea;  the  hok-s  and  fissures  thus  m.  (Fording  them  a  secure 
retreat  from  their  numerous  enemies,  to  which  a  disposition  to 
swim  near  the  surface  exposes  them. 

In  its  general  appearance,  it  approaches  more  nearly  the  ofihi- 
dium  virideof  Fabricius*  than  any  other  of  its  congeners,  but 
differs  materially  from  it  in  the  size  of  the  pectoral  fin,  which 
in  this  species  is  very  much  larger,  and  contains  between  three 
and  four  times  the  number  of  rays  of  that  of  the  0.  viride. 
There  are  also  other  more  minute  differences,  as  will  be  seen  by 
the  following  description  : — 

Head. — Very  obtuse,  being,  in  .its  length,  depth,  and  trans- 
verse diameter,  equal;  broader  than  the  body,  flattened  and 
grooved  between  the  eyes,  which  are  lateral,  and  rather  large, 
I  rides  pearl  white.  Mouth  rather  large,  placed  at  the  extremi- 
ty of  the  head,  and  armed  with  numerous  minute  teeth  on  the 
palate  and  either  jaw  ;  lower  jaw  rather  the  longer,  and  with- 
out cirri. 

Body. — Three  times  the  length  of  the  head,  ensiform,  much 
compressed,  and  gradually  tapering  towards  the  ttiil,  which 
is  pointed.     Neck  much  arched,  giving  a  greater  depth  to  the 

•  Fauna  Gijenlandica, p.  141,  No. 99.    La  Cepide,  0.  Unernak,  ii.  p,  280. 


f 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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1.0 


I.I 


Ui|28     |25 
ij£  HM   |2.2 

1^ 


IM 


lli& 


1-25  1  1.4   |lj6 

< 

6"     

► 

^ 


y 


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^^ 


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r 


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Hiotographic 

Sdaices 

Corporation 


<v 


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^^. 


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«^ 


33  WIST  MAIN  STRUT 

WMSTIR,  N.V.  MSM 

(7U)l7a-4S03 


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? 


A' 


<!^ 


.V 


<;>4; 


I 


.%. 


184 


APPENDIX. 


body  there  than  in  any  other  part.  Back  of  a  dark  greenish- 
brown  colour,  which  is  lighter  on  the  sides ;  belly  before  the 
vent  white;  vent  nearer  the  head;  fins  partake  of  the  colour 
of  that  part  of  the  body  on  which  they  are  inserted. 

f' INS. — Dorsal  fin,  which  rises  Just  behind  the  head,  and 
anal  fin,  which  commences  immediately  behind  the  vent,  unite 
with  the  caudal,  and  togetlllr  consist  of  ninety-five  rays ;  of 
which  the  dorsal  and  superior  half  of  the  caudal  contain  fifty,  • 
and  the  anal  and  inferior  half  of  the  caudal  forty-five  rays. 
Pectoral  fins,  which  are  very  large,  contain  thirty-seven  rays, 
and,  when  stretched  backward  along  the  body,  extend  rather 
beyond  the  vent,  and  completely  cover  the  whole  of  the  belly 
and  tiirodt.  ^  »     •  *  x;,ma» 

They  were  found  to  vary  in  size  from  4  to  8  inches  :  the  fol- 
lowing dimensions  are  of  an  ordinary-sized  fish,  from  which 
the  above  description  was  principally  taken. 


Length  to  the  caudal  fin     .     .     4 

8      ? 

7      3 

„    of  the  caudal  fin     .     .    0 

„    of  the  head    ....     1 

2     jth 

.  „    to  the  vent     ....     1 

7     ■    ' 

„    of-dorsal  and  ventral  fins  o 

.  8  each 

(ireatest  depth  of  the  body  .     1   . 

5 

Inches.  ,  Inches, 

whole  length  5  .  5 
I  the  length  of  the  body 


This  species  is  named  in  honour  of  Captain  Parry,  the  dis- 
tinguished commander  of  the  Expedition.  •  •  •■' 

"  •     ■     •  •     2".  Ophidium  vniiDE.         ■    ,         ■  ,• 

Opliicl'ium  viride.     Fabr.  Fauna  Granlandica,  p.  141. 
■Uphfdiuin  uneriiak.    La  Vepede,  Uiatoire  JVdturelle  dea  Poitioni.  ii.  p. 
280. 


An  individual  of  this  species  was  taken  from  the  stomach  of  a 
kittiwake,  in  a  sufficiently  perfect  state  to  secure  its  identity 
with  tolerable  certainty.  It  was  3|  inches  in  length,  and  ac- 
corded with  Tabricius's  description  above  referred  to. 


'f.tf 


t 


ittLw..du>iiyiilii 


4 


•  i^ 


ZOOLOOT. 


185 


•eenisb- 
ore  the 
!  colour 

id,  and 
it,  unite 
ays;  of 
in  fifty, ' 
/c  rays.  ^ 
in  rays, 
rather 
le,  belly 

the  fol- 
which   r 


Inches. 


le  body. 


he  dis- 


3.  Merlangus  PoLAais.   (Leac/i.) 
Meriangus  Polaris.    Supp.  to  Parry's  First  Voyage,  p.  ccxi. 

Was  found  in  considerable  numbers  under  similar  circumstances 
With  the  Ofihidium  Parrii.  They  constitute  the  principal  food 
of  the  numerous  sea-fowl  which  migrate  to  the  Arctic  Regions 
in  the  summer,  to  breed;  but  their  most  destructive  enemy  is 
the  deljihinafiterus  beluga,  or  white  whale :  from  its  persecu- 
tions they  have  been  known  to  leap  on  to  the  ice  by  hundicds ; 
and  on  one  of  these  occasions,  which  occurred  near  Port  Bow- 
en,  and  was  witnessed  by  one  of  the  officers,  sufficient  were 
collected  to  affiird  several  delicious  meals  to  the  officers  and 
crew  of  the  Expedition. 

It  is  this  fish  which  Captain  Parry  mentions  in  the  narrative 
of  his  second  voyage,  as  having  been  collected  in  great  num- 
bers from  the  pools  left  by  the  falling  tide,  on  the  rocks  at  the 
entrance  of  the  Duke  of  York's  Bay.*  They  are  very  nume- 
rous in  all  parts  of  the  Arctic  Regions  visited  by  the  late  Ex- 
peditions. 

There  is  considerable  variation  in  the  number  of  rays  in  the 
fins,  which  seems  not  to  depend  on  the  size  of  the  fish.     The 
following,  which  is  the  average  of  a  great  many,  differs  slightly 
from  those  given  by  Captain  Sabine  as  above  referred  to : — 
P.  18.     V.6.     D.  13,  15,  20.     A.  17,21.     C.  42  to  48. 

•  * 

4.  CoTTUs  Polaris  ? 


I 


nt.  ii.  p. 


:h  of  a 
dentity 
ind  ac- 


CottUi  Polaris  ?     Supp.  to  Parry's  First  Voyage,  p.  ccxiii. 

Two  individuals  of  a  very  small  species  of  cottua  were  found 
on  the  ice  near  Port  Bowen,  but  in  so  mutilated  a  state  as  to 
preclude  the  possibility  of  determining  their  identity  with  per- 
fect certainty.    They  were  each  nearly  2  inches  long. 


,<i 


•  See  page  39. 


24 


I 


^t     t  V 


.^ 


186 


APPENDIX. 


5.    COTTUS  QUADRIOORNIS. 

Cottus  quadricornis.  Block,  Ichthyologx,,  iii.  p.  216,  plate  108,  La 
Cepede,  Mstoire  J^aturelle  dea  Poiaaona,  iii.  p.  241.  Supp.  to 
Parry'a  Firat  Voyage,  p.  ccxiii. 

Cottus  scorpioides.     Fabr.  Fauna  Grant,  p. 1S7. 

Found  at  the  Whale-fish  Islands  in  considerable  numbers^,  but 
none  were  seen  after  leaving  the  coast  of  Greenland.  '     '%  ♦ 

■  ■    •   '       '     .  ■•"  ■'  ___  '  '^^' 

Besides  the  five  fish  above  enumerated,  a  species  oT/ileuro- 
neciea  was  seen,  and  an  imperfect  skeleton  of  one  was  found  on 
the  ice  in  Port  Bowen,  from  which  it  was  impossible  to  deter- 
mine the  species.  It  was  probably  either  the  P.  glacialis  or 
P.  stellatua,  both  of  which  are  mentioned  by  Richardson*  as 
inhabitants  of  the  Polar  Sea. 


if"- 


'.' 

t 

■■     *  -^   :   *'■■'  ■.-■'  .•      - 

•»  , 

INSECTS. 

ri 

',;■'»  "■ 


In  the  following  list  of  Insects,  the  generic  names  of  P.  A.  La- 
treille  [Genera  Crustaceorum  et  Inaectoruni)  have  been  gene- 
rally used,  and  the  arrangement  of  M.  le  Chevalier  de  Lamark 
(^Histoire  JVattirelle  dea  Animaux  aana  Vertibrea)  has  been  fol 
lowed  in  most  cases. 

1.    SiMULIUM  REPTANS. 

■  »r  .     • 

Simulium  Reptans.    Xam.  iii.  p.  432. 

Culex  Reptans.    Fabr.  Fauna  GrmnL  p.  210,  Ho.  172.       '  .vf.   « 

Found  at  the  Whale-fish  Islands  in  considerable  numbers.  All 
the  specimens  examined  by  me  had  two  white  rings  on  the 
legs ;  in  this  respect  agreeing  with  those  found  by  Fabricius  in 
Greenland,  and  differing  from  Linnxus's  description  of  those 
found  in  Sweden. 

'    •   %  •  Appendix  to  Franklin's  Journey,  p.  724. 


V 


•-    # 


f 


108.    La 
Supp.  to 


bers,  but 


\ffileuro- 
found  on 
to  deler- 
uialis  or 
•dson*  as 


p.  A.  La- 
en  genc- 
Lamark 
jeen  fol 


bcrs.  All 

s  on  the 

iricius  in 

of  those 


ZOOLOOT. 

2.  Ctenophora  Parrii. 


18: 


Ctenophora  Parrii.  Kirby,  in  Supp,  to  Parry's  First  Voyage,  p.  ccxviii. 

A  SINGLE  individual  was  found  amongst  some  plants  sent  home 
from  the  Whale-fi^h  Islands,  and  was  the  only  one  taken  du- 
ring the  voyage,  although  I  have  no  doubt  that  they  were  very 
abundant  at  that  place.  It  was  a  female,  and  agreed  exactly 
•with  the  excellent  description  above  referred  to.  The  male 
has  not  yet  been  described. 


tfi 


3.  Perdicia  rivosa. 

Tipula  rivosa.    Lam.  iii.  p.  437,  sp.  3.    Fabr.  Fauna  Grxnl.  p.  200. 

Found  abundantly  in  all  parts  of  the  Arctic  Regions  which 
have  been  visited  by  the  late  Expeditions.  They  are  most 
abundant  by  the  sides  of  lakes  and  in  marshy  places. 

4.  CULEX  caspius. 

Culex  caspius.    Pallas  Russesch  lieisen,  App.  i,  p.  23,  No.  78. 
Culex  pipiens.    Fabr.  Fauna  Grant,  p.  209, 

This  beautiful  insect  is  well  described  in  the  works  above  re- 
ferred to:  it  is  nearly  allied  to  the  C.  fiifiiena,  but  is  (besides  the 
differences  noticed  by  Fabricius)  smaller.  Its  bite  is  very  pain- 
ful and  venomous. 

5.  Melitjea  tullia. 

Papllio  tullia.    Fain.  Fauna  Grant,  p.  192, 

Taken  very  aljundantly  at  Port  Bowen,  and  found  in  all  parts 
visited  by  the  late  Expeditions.  Individuals  vary  considerably 
in  the  disposition  of  the  black  markings  of  the  wings;  but  the 
excellent  description  by  Fabricius  has  been  taken  from  the 
most  beautiful  and  most  common  of  the  varieties,  and  enables 
me,  without  doubt,  to  identify  the  species  . 


'I 


■>, 


'^^ 


■4,  -..- 


ISS  APPENDIX. 

•  ^^ 

6.    BOMBYX    SaBINI? 

.    Bombyx  Sabini  ?    Kirby,  in  Supp.  to  Parry's  First  Voyage,  p.  ccxv. 

A  SOLITARY  individual  was  brought  on  board,  in  a  very  muti- 
lated state,  by  one  of  the  Esquimaux  from  the  Whale-fish  Is- 
lands. It  agreed,  as  far  as  I  was  able  to  make  out,  with  the 
description  above  referred  to;  but  its  identity  is  doubtful. 

'.  7.  BoMBus  Arcticus. 

Bombus  Arcticus.    Kirby,  in  Supp.  to  Parry's  First  Voyage,  p.  cczvi. 
Apis  Aipina.    Fabr.  Fauna  Grcenl,  p.  199,  No.  155. 

All  the  specimens  brought  home  from  Port  Bowen  are  females, 
and  correspond  exactly  with  Fabricius's  minute  and  very  ac- 
curate description,  except  that  they  are  smaller— the  length  of 
the  body  being  only  ten  lines ;  in  which  they  agree,  as  well  as 
in  all  other  points,  with  those  described  by  Mr.  Kirby. 

It  is  the  earliest  insect  on  the  wing,  and  has  been  found  in 
all  parts  of  the  Arctic  Regions  visited  by  the  late  Expeditions, 
'  but  is  by  no  means  numerous.  ..,    - 

,,  8.  Formica  rubra.  '    , 

Formica  rubra.    Lam.  iv.  p.  98. 

•^  Abundant  at  the  Whale-fish  Islands;  it  was  also  found,  on  the 
preceding  voyage,  on  several  parts  of  the  Melville  Peninsula. 

9.  Dysdera  erythrina. 

Aranea  urythrina.    Lam.  v.  p.  97,  sp.  3. 

Aranea  rufipes.    Fabr.  Fauna  Greenl,  p.  226.  <     . 

AnuNDAxi)  at  the  Whale-fish  Islands;  it  was  also  found,  on  a 
former  voyage,  on  the  shores  of  Repulse  Bay. 

10.  OXYOPES    VARIEOATUS, 


Aranea  variegata.     Latn.  v.  p.  102,  sp.  24. 
Aranea  crucigcra?    Fabr.  Fauna  Granl.  p.  228. 


If.. 


Found  abundantly  at  the  Whale-fish  Islands.  This  is  probably 
the  same  species  which  Fabricius  heard  of  from  the  inhabitant^ 


■■^^:' 


^'m 


iiid,  on  u 


ZOOLOGY. 


189 


p.  ccxv. 

iry  muti- 
le-fish  Is- 
with  the 
itful. 


p.  CCSVlt 


:  females, 

very  ac- 

length  of 

s  well  as 

found  in 
jeditlons, 


of  Greenland;  but  not  having  seen  any  himself,  he  has  made  a 
mistake  in  calling  it  the  largest,  though  it  certainly  is  the  most 
beautiful  of  the  genus  inhabiting  Greenland,  The  J.  aaccata 
is  considerably  larger  than  this. 


4-- 


11.  Ltcosa  saccata. 

Aranea  saccata.    Lam.  v.  p.  103,  sp.  27.    Fabr.  Fauna  Grtenl.  p.  228. 

The  largest  and  most  numerous  of  the  tribe  which  I  have 
met  with  in  the  Arctic  Regions.  It  was  found  at  the  Whale-fish 
Islands,  and,  on  the  preceding  voyage,  on  several  parts  of  the 
Melville  Peninsula. 

12.  Salticus  scenicus. 

Aranea  scenica.    Lam.  v.  p.  103,  sp.  29.    Fabr.  Fauna  Groeiil.  p.  22r. 

Found  commonly  in  all  parts  of  the  Arctic  Regions,  frequently 
amongst  the  ruins  of  the  Esquimaux  huts  and  graves.  It  is 
very  active,  and  leaps  horizontally  in  a  surprising  manner. 


^1 


id,  on  the 
eninsula. 


Besides  the  twelve  insects  above  enumerated,  a  species  of 
sfihex  and  a  coleopterous  insect  were  seen ;  but  as  none  have 
been  brought  home,  I  am  unable  to  give  them  a  place  here  with 
any  certainty.  There  ai"e  doubtless  many  others  which  have 
not  been  observed,  for  in  this  branch  of  natural  history  there 
were  not  many  amongst  the  officers  who  collected,  and  the  few 
opportunities  of  landing  which  occurred  during  the  summer 
were  generally  occupied  in  some  more  favourite  pursuit. 


( 


f 

1,11 


probably 
labitantv 


« 


lyo 


APPENDIX 


^. 


^^\P 


MARINE  INVERTEBRATE  ANIMALS. 


In  the  following  brief  notice  of  the  Marine  Invertebrate  Ani- 
mals brought  home  by  the  late  Expedition,  the  generic  ar- 
rangement of  M.  Le  Chevalier  de  Lamarck  ( Histoire  Hatu- 
relle  des  jinimaux  sana  Vertibrea)  has  been  followed  in  every 
instance.  .    •  •       :       " 

1.  Beroe  pileus.  *,. 

Beroe  pileus,     jPa6r.  Fauna  GranJ.  p.  361,  No.  354.    Supp.toPar- 
ry'a  First  Voyage,  p.  ccxxi. 

Extremely  numerous  in  Baffin's  Bay  and  Davis'  Strait.  It 
was  observed  to  emit  a  beautifully  brilliant  phosphoric  light 
when  agitated,  rendering  the  path  of  the  ship  through  the 
water,  on  a  dark  night,  surprisingly  resplendent. 

^'.    ■  ■  2.   DiANJEA   GLACIALIS.  ..* 

;.*0-'--,     ■  ■  ,      •;.         ■»■'- 

Dianxa  glacialis.    Stipp.  to  Parry's  First  Voyage,  p.  ccxxi.  Plate  i.  fig.  1. 

Abundant  in  Davis'  Strait  and  Baffin's  Bay,  but  rarely  met 
with  in  Regent's  Inlet.         •   .      .  ,     •      ,^        •■    i 

• ,  >3fe     3.  Cyanea  Arctioa.     .    •  '    \  -.y . 

Cyanea  Arctioa.    iMtn.  ii.  p.  519.    Supp.  to  Parry's  First  Voyage,  p, 

ccxxi. 
Medusa  capillata.    Fabr.  Fauna  Grtenl.  p.  364,  No.  358. 
'  .     '         '      • 

4.  Ophiura  fraoilis. 

Ophiura  fragilis.  Lam,  ii.  p.  546.  Sitpp  to  Parry's  First  Voyage,  p.  ccxxii. 
Asterias  fragilis.  Zool.  Dan.  iii,  p.  28,  Plate  98. 

Some  imperfect  specimens  of  this  species  were  found  on  tlu* 
ice  in  Port  Bowen. 


.^• 


"« 


rV^-^TH^I 


t^ 


% 


^Wlff 


■^' 


ZOOLOGY. 

5.  Ophivra  fiuformis. 


191 


M 


Ophiura  filiformis.    Lam.  u.  p.  546. 

Asterias  fUiformis.    Zool.  Ban.  u.  p.  24,  Plate  59. 


6.  Nymphum  grossipes< 


W  . 


Nymphum  grosapes.    Lam.  v.  p.  79.    Stipp.  to  Parry's  First  Voyage 

p.  ccxxv. 
Ficnogonum  grossipes.    Fauna  Grant,  p.  229,  No.  310. 

Fine  specimens  of  a  female  and  nine  young  ones  were  found 
on  the  ice  at  Port  Bowen.  Tiiey  agreed  admirably  with  the 
description  of  Fabricius,  but  differed  from  the  plate  in  the 
Zool.  Dan.f  in  the  points  mentioned  by  Captain  Sabine,  and 
which  could  not  have  been  taken  from  the  animal  under  con 

sideration. 

»  . .  '*    \-  ■  ■^''   ^' '  •  ,*-        .  "■ 

„  :'•  .:/■?.  "  .     •   '■  •♦  > 

7.  Nymphum  hirsutus.  •     .  ^ 

* .-     — .  " 

Nymphum  hirsutus.  Supp.  to  Parrj^a  First  Voyage,  p.  ccxzvi. 

Two  individuals  of  this  species,  which  were  taken  in  a  dredge 
in  Port  Bowen,  differed  in  no  respect  from  the  description 
above  quoted,  except  that  the  two  fingers  of  the  mandibules 
are  armed  with  numerous  minute  teeth  along  the  whole  of 
their  inner  edges,  and  form  a  most  destructive  weapon.  , 

8.  Idotea  entomon. 

Idotea  entomon.    Lam.  v.  p.  159.    Supp.  to  Parry's  First  Voyage. 
p.  ccxzvii. 

Abundant  at  the  Whale-fish  Islands,  and  has  been    ound  in 
all  parts  of  the  Arctic  Regions  visited  by  the  late  Expeditions. 

9.  Idotea  Baffini. 

Idotea  Baflfini.     Supp.  to  Parry's  First  Voyage,  p.  228.  Plate  i.  fig.  4^. 
A  FEW  specimens,  which  were  found  on  the  ice  at  Port  Bow- 


..^:^ 


■w  '^-^i- 


L,"! 


t  • 


#. 


*  ♦ 


m 


.asiiii.!' 


.•.»».<.   ,11  .(Mhi^iW^i 


*■  ■ 


192 


APPENDIX. 


% 


cn,  differ  from  Captain  Sabine's  otherwise  accurate  descrip- 
tion, in  having  the  spines  on  the  second  and  third  segments 
of  the  body,  the  longest  and  strongest ;  and  all  of  them  being 
much  larger  than  is  represented  by  the  very  beautiful  engra- 
ving. There  are  also  two  small  pines  on  the  upper  plate, 
in  which  the  branchiae  are  included.      ^ 

■  .  • 

10.  Caprella  soolopendroides. 

•  Caprella  soolopendroides.    Jjam.  v.  p.  174. 
Grainoiarus  quadrilobatus.  Zool.  Dan.  iii.  p.  58,  Plate  114,  fig.  11, 12, 

Female  (young  ?) 
Squilla  quadrilobata.     Zool.  Dan.  u.  p.  21,  Plate  56,,fig.  4^  5,  6^  Male 

(young?)  „  . 

Squilla  lobata.    Fabr.  Fauna  Graml.  p.  248,  No.  225.  •  ^  V^if 

Was  found  abundantly  at  Port  Bowen,  but  considerably  larger 
than  those  from  which  MUller's  drawings  were  taken,  and 
nearly  as  large  as  the  magnified  figures.  They  also  differ 
in  having  a  great  number  of  small  spines  along  the  back,- 
which,  however,  were  not  observable  on  the  young  ones  found 
attached  to  the  antennae  of  the  females.  They  agreed  in  all 
other  respects.  I  have  therefore  considered  them  to  be  of  the 
same  species,  as  it  is  probable  that  MUller's  drawing  were 
taken  from  the  young. 


s.i 


'^.t 


11.  Cyamus  ceti. 


Cyamus  ceti.    Lam.  v.  p.  176. 

Oniscusceti.    Fabr.  Fauna  Graenl.  p.  253^^0.  230.    Zool.  Dan,  iii. 
p.  69.  Plate  119,  fig.  13-17.  ,    ..     ,.*,-., 

i 

Found  on  a  young  whale  which  was  killed  in  June  1825,  near 
Port  Bowen.  .,  \  .t^/j  ,    . 


12.  Gammarus  Sabini. 

'   Gammarus  Sabini.    Leach,  in  Boss's  Voyage,  8vo.  ii.  p.  178.     Supp. 
to  Parry's  First  Voyage,  p.  ccxxxii.  Piate  i.  fig.  8-11. 

Found  on  the  ice  at  Port  Bowen,  but  not  very  abundantly. 


§!||p 


tk 


*  #■. 


-II.-," 


-«%:*'■ 


i 


Jan.  m. 


near 


Supp. 


zooLOctr. 
13.  Gammarus  loricatus. 


193 


Gammarus  loricatus.     Supp.  to  Parry's  First  Voyage,  p.  pcxxxi.  Plate 
i.  fig.  7. 

In  the  figure  above  referred  to,  each  pair  of  antennae  appear  to 
be  placed  on  a  peduncle,  which  is  not  the  case. 

They  were  found  ii;i  considerable  numbers  on  the  ice  in  Port 
Bowen.  . 


^. 


14.  Gammarus  boreus. 


Gammarus  boreus. 

.ft-  . 


Supp.  to  Parry's  First  Voyage,  p.  ccxxix. 


The  specimens  which  I  possess  differ  from  Captain  Sabine's 
description  in  having  the  superior  antennae  as  long  as  the  head 
and  six  first  segments  of  the  body,  and  the  antennae,  legs,  and 
tail  being  fringed  with  the  most  beautifully  fine  cilias,  particu- 
larly the  plates  of  the  tail.  The  fifth,  sixth,  and  seventh  pair 
of  legs  increase  successively  in  length,  the  fifth  pair  being  the 
smallest.  In  all  other  respects  my  specimens  correspond  ex- 
actly with  his  description. 

'■    •>.  15.   TaLITRUS  NUGAX.  '*•    .     •'    . 

Gammarus  nugax.     Supp.  to  Pafry's  First  Voyage,  p.  ccxxix. 
Cancer  nugax.    Phipps's  Voyage,  Plate  xii  fig.  3. 

By  far  the  most  numerous  of  the  Crustacea  inhabiting  the  Arc- 
tic Seas.  The  superior  antennae  are  shorter  than  the  inferior, 
which,  according  to  the  arrangement  followed  in  this  notice, 
separates  it  from  the  genus  gammarus,  where  it  has  been  in- 
advertently placed.  *  • 

16.  Talitrus  Edvardsii. 

Talitrus  Edvardsii.     Supp.  to  Parry's  first  Voyage,  p.  ccxxxiii.  Plate  ii. 
fig.  1-4.  , 

Was  found  on  the  ice  at  Port  Bowen  in  great  numbers.  The 
plate  and  description  above  referred  to  are  very  exact. 

25 


P')| 


■ 


J 


<  "'■^'' 


I 


t 


I 


'* 


:£'. 


.1 


^F-T-^jTr"! — 


,^,- 


194 


APPENDIX. 


17.  Nebalia  glabra  I 


Nebalia  glabra.    Lam.  p.  198.  , 

Cancer  bipes.    Fabr.  Fauna  Granl.  p.  246,  Plate  i.  fig.  t. 

A  SINGLE  imperfect  specimen  was  taken  out  of  a  block  of  ice,, 
in  too  mutilated  a  state  to  determine  its  species  with  certainty. 

18.  Mysis  flexuosus. 

Mysis  flexuosus.     Lam.  v,  p.  200. 

Cancer  flexuosus.    Mull.  Zool.  Dan.  iL  p.  34,  Plate  Ixvi. 

The  long  and  very  delicate  antennae  of  this  animal  were  broken, 
in  the  only  individuals  which  I  have  seen.  I  have  no  doubt, 
however,  of  their  identity,  as  they  agree  in  all  other  points, 
with  the  descriptions  and  plate  referred  to. 


19.    CrANGON  BOREAS. 


f) 


Crangon  boreas.  Lam.  v.  p.  201.     Sufip.  to  Parry's  Firtt  Voyage,  p. 
^^  ,;         ccxxxv. 

Cancer  boreas.    Phippa's  Voyage,  p.  194,  Plate  xi.  fig.  1.  Zoal.  Dan.  iv. 
^  •  p.  14,  Plate  cxxxii.  fig.  \. 

Vary  in  size  from  2  to  6  inches  in  length,  including  the  an- 
'■'  tennse.  The  plates  referred  to  are  tolerably  good,  and  of  dif- 
"*  ferent  sized  animals.  All  that  were  taken  had  the  spines  on 
the  thorax  mentioned  by  Captain  Sabine.  A  few  were  found 
on  the  ice  at  Port  Bowen,  but  on  the  preceding  voyage  they 
were  taken  with  nets,  in  considerable  numbers,  off  the  island  of 
Igloolik. 


*t>  tif  ^T^'- 


•    '       20.  Alpheus  aculeatus. 


■;'  .^l»! 


•>    *^'V     jS' 


.  f :.      I 


Alpheus  aculeatus.     Supp.  to  Parry's  Firtt  Voyage,  p.  ccxxxvii.  Plate 

ii.  fig.  9, 10. 
Cancer  aculeatus.    Fabr.  Fauna  Grttnl.  p.  239,  Jio.  217.      i  «    ,., 

A  single  individual  was  found  dead  on  the  ice  at  Port  Bowen. 
They  were  taken  very  abundantly,  on  the  preceding  voyage,  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Igloolik.  '■-■  '    • 


-^ 


f 


.  of  ice,, 
rtainty. 


broken, 
3  doubt, 
•  points, 


V'Qyage,  p. 
>;.  Don.  iv. 


the  an- 
id  of  dif- 
ipines  on 
ere  found 
age  they 

island  of 


ZOOLOOT. 


195 


The  difficulty  of  preserving  the  numerous  species  of  mol- 
lusca  which  are  to  be  found  so  very  abundantly  in  the  Arctic 
Seas,  may  account  in  some  measure  for  so  few  having  beftn 
brought  home.  To  those  which  are  enumerated  above,  the 
Limacina  Arctica  and  Clio  Borealis  may  be  added;  they  were 
extremely  numerous  in  Davis'  Strait  and  Baffin's  Bay. 


,*. 


ft' J 


J 


t{i!    Ai 


ixvii.  Plate 


rt  Bowen. 
royage,  in 


■^ 


^ti. 


\    t  I 


',\ 


'■^'^^^'1  .IWPJWT'P^'*""""  " 


!     * 


BOTANICAL  APPENDIX, 

r 

PROFESSOR  HOOKER,  LL.D.  F.R.A.  &L.S. 

Regius  Professor  of  Botany  in  the  Univerfity  of  Glasgirw. 


It  has  been  considered  proper  here,  as  in  the  former  Arctic 
Voyages,  to  add  a  list  of  tlie  Plants  discovered  during  the  Ex- 
pedition. '      '  , 

In  the  present  instance,  this  list  has  been  reduced  to  as  small 
a  compass  as  possible,  there  being  but  few  plants  which  had 
not  been  found  during  the  previous  voyages;  and  of  the  others, 
a  very  limited  number  having  seemed  to  require  particular  no- 
tice, it  has  been  deemed  sufficient  to  confine  their  references 
almost  wholly  to  the  Botanical  Appendices  of  the  two  prece- 
ding Narratives  of  Captain  Parry,  where  the  accounts  are  given 
in  detail. 

The  small  number  of  species  here  enumer*  ted  is  owing  to 
'  the  few  opportunities  that  were  afforded  for  the  officers  to  go 
on  shore,  as  well  as  to  the  extreme  poverty  of  the  soil  in  those 
places  that  were  visited. 

W.  J.  Hooker. 

Olasgov),  Jipril  8,  1826. 


DICOTYLEDONES. 

I  • 

I.  RANUNCULACEiE. 

I.  Ranunculus. 

I.  Ranunculus  nivalis.  Linn.     Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy- 
age, App.  p.  cclxiv.    Hooker  in  Parry's  id  Voy.  Apj).  p.  3. 


BOTANY. 


197 


R.  sulphureus.     Solander  and  De  Cand. 

Hab.  Cape  Warrender.  North  Somerset,  very  abundant.  Regent's 
Inlet. 

2.  Ranunculus  hyperboreus.  Rottb.  Brown  in  Parry's  1st 
Voy.  App.  p.  cclxiii.     Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  p.  4. 

Hab.  Regent's  Inlet. 

3.  Ranunculus  lapponicus,  Linn.  De  Cand.  Syst.  Veg.  v. 
1.  p.  271.  cjusd.  Prodr.  v.  1.  p.  35. 

Hab.  Whale  Islands,  scarce.     Lieut.  Ross. 

This  plant  has  been  long  known  as  an  inhabitant  of  Lapland  ;  and  Dr. 
Richardson  gathered  it  in  the  wooded  country  of  North  America,  from 
lat.  54°  to  64"  north.  It  had  not  been  found  by  the  officers  during  any 
preceding  voyage.     Discovered  by  Lieutenant  Ross. 


n.  PAPAVERACPiE. 

...    *  2.  Papaver. 

•  4.  Papaver  nudicaule.  Linn.     Brown  in  Parry's   1st  Voy, 
App.  cclxx.     Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  4. 
.    Hai.  North  Somerset. 


,      V         ,         •       III.  CRUCIFERiE. 

.       .   .  ,   ',"      ,  .       .  ■ 

3.    CARnAMINE. 

5.  Cardamine  bellidifolia.  Linn.     Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Vov. 
App.  p.  cclxx.     Hookt-r  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  9. 

Hab.  North  Somerset  j  gathered  by  Mr.  M'Laren. 

•        '        '  4.  Draba.        •     •     *     •■      .. 

6.  Draba  alpina.  Linn.     Brown  in  Parry's  Isl  Voy.  App.  p. 
cclxv.     Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  5. 

Hau.  Vov:  rt  wen.     IKueni's  Inlet.  ,  ,^     f 

7.  Dri'Ni  a.i-ia.     Linn. 

Var.  4.  1-3  [)->)licari>(,  fohis  uitegcrnmis,  scapo  gracili  aphyllo.    Hooker 
in  Purn'f.    >i  V'»y.  Apt),  p.  G. 
D.  iiirta      ri,  Dan.  t.  U2. 
Hab.  Tort  Bowen.     Uegeni'»  Inlet.  * 

5.  Cocm.KARiA. 

8.  Cochl^aria  ff^icsfrata.     Hro^vll  in  Parry's  1st  Voy.  App. 
p.  cclxvi.    Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  7. 


J 


;k<5 


198 


APPENDIX. 


HiB.  North  Somerset.    Whale-Fish  Islands.    Regent's  Inlet. 

The  specimen  gathered  in  Whale  Fish  Islands,  consisting  of  a  single 
stem,  without  root-leaves,  is  twice  the  size  of  the  common  appearance  of 
Mr.  Brown's  Cochlearia  feneatrata,  and  has  its  stem-leaves  ovato-deltoid, 
upon  a  broad  distinct  footstalk. 

6.  Platypetalum. 

9.  Platypetalum  purpurascens.  Brown  in  Parry's  IstVoy. 
App.  p.  cclxvii. 

Braya  arctica.     Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  7. 
.    Hab.  PortBowen. 

I  am  indebted  to  the  kindness  of  Lieutenant  Ross  for  fine  specimens  of 
the  Platypetalum  purpurascen*  of  Mr.  Brown,  gathered  in  a  former  voy- 
age, wliich  have  enabled  me  to  detect  an  important  error  into  which  I 
have  fallen  in  the  Botanical  Appendix  to  Capt.  Parry's  2d  Voyage,  where 
I  have  considered  this  plant  as  a  species  of  Braya,  and  described  it  as  B. 
arctica.  The  habit,  indeed,  of  Platypetalum,  Braya,  and  Parrya,  is  very 
similar ;  and,  without  the  perfect  fruit,  it  becomes  very  diflicult  to  distin- 
guish them.  Of  my  supposed  Braya  arctica,  there  were  only  specimens 
in  flower  in  the  collection,  and  these  flowers  were  scarcely  fully  deve- 
loped. In  that  state,  the  germen  being  oblongo-cylindraceous,  1  rather  re- 
f(prred  the  genus  to  Braya  than  to  Platypetalum.  I  mentioned,  however, 
that  the  form  of  its  germen  was  the  only  point  of  difference  which  existed 
between  it  and  Mr.  Brown's  character  of  the  latter  genus.  The  fully 
formed  seed-vessel  in  Platypetalum  is  ovate  or  oblong,  and  the  seeds  form 
two  rows. 

♦       •■.     '  <         •'  •'        # 

......  7.    El.rREMA.  /,      t 

10.  Eutrema  Edwardsii.  BroAvn  in  Parry's  1st  Voy.  App. 
p.  cclxx.     Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  9. 

Hab.  Port  Bowen.    Regent's  Inlet. 

8.  Parrya. 

11.  Parrya  arctica.     Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy.  p.  cclxviii. 

Tab.  B.    Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  8 

Hab.  North  Somenet  -,  gathered  in  considerable  abundance  by  Lieut, 
Ross. 


^' 


'••^■■"^2 


BOTANY.  109 

IV.  CARYOPHYLLE.E. 

9.  Lychnis. 

12.  Lychnis  apetala.     Linn.     Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy. 
App.  p.  cclxx.     Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  9. 
IIab.  Port  Bowen.     Regent's  Inlet. 

10.  Cerastium. 

■    •      •  '  • 

13    Cerastium  alpinum.     Linn.     Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy. 
App.  p.  cclxx.     Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App  p.  9. 
Hab.  Port  Bowen.    Whale-Fish  Islands.     Regent's  Inlet. 

11.  \renaria. 

14.  Arenaria  rubella,  Wahl.  Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy. 
App.  p.  11. 

A.  quadrivalvis,  Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy.  App.  p.  cclxxi. 
H A B.  North  Somerset.    Port  Bowen.    Regent's  Inlet. 

15.  Arenaria  Rossii.  Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy.  App.  p. 
cclxxii.     Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  11. 

Hab    Port  Bowen  ;  scarce,  and  not  in  flower.    Lieut.  Ross. 

16.  Arenaria  Pumilio,  Br.  MSS.  Hooker  in  Parry's  2d 
Voy.  App.  p.  11. 

Hab.  Whale-Fish  Islands,  and  Port  Bowen,  not  in  flower.  Lieut.  Ross. 

17.  Arenaria  Pcploides.  Linn.  Sp.  PI.  p.  605.  De  Cand. 
Prodr.  V.  1.  p.  418.  Hooker  in  Ace.  of  Capt  Sabine's  Plants 
of  E.  coast  of  W.  Greenland. 

Hab.  Whale  Islands.     Port  Bowen.  '   '  *  *    . 

Found  by  Lieut.  Ross ;  it  had  not  been  seen  in  any  of  the  preceding 
voyages,  but  is  a  native  of  the  coast  of  Labrador  and  Hudson's  Bay,  and 
of  Greenland. 

12.  Stellaria. 

18.  Stellaria  Edwardsii.  Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy.  App. 
p.  cclxxi.     Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  10. 

S.  nitida.  Hooker  in  Scoresby's  E.  coast  of  W.  Greenland, 
App.  p.  441.  *  ■* 

Hab.  North  Somerset. 

19.  Stellaria  humifusa.  Rottb.  in  Act.  Hafn.  v.  10.  p.  447.  t. 
4.f.  14.  FI.  Dan.  t.  978.  Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  II. 

Ha>.  Whale  Islands,  very  abundant.    Lieut.  Ross. 


J 


M 


n 


I  I 


~  -J 


1 


:li      » 


200 


APPENDIX. 


'il^ 


V.  SAXIFRAGES. 
13.  Saxifraga. 

20.  Saxifraga  oppositifolia.  Linn.  Brown  in  Parry's  1st 
Vby.  App.  p.  cclxxiii.  Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  12. 

Hab.  Port  Bowen. 

21.  Saxifraga  Hirculus.  Linn.  Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy, 
App.  p.  cclxxiii.    Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  12. 

Hab.  Port  Sowen.    North  Somerset.     Regent's  Inlet. 

22.  Saxifraga  flagellaris.  Sternb.  Brown  in  Parry's  1st 
Voy.  App.  p.  cclxxiii. 

Hab.  North  Somerset.    Regent's  Inlet. 

This  plant,  although  found  plentifully  at  Melville  Island,  does  not  appear 
to  have  been  seen  by  any  of  the  officers  during  the  second  voyage. 

23.  Saxifraga  stellaris.     Linn. 
Hab.  Whale-Fish  Islands. 

The  flowers  of  this  plant  are  very  small  and  imperfect,  and  it  ap- 
proaches very  nearly  to  the  following  species,  S.  folioloaa  of  Brown  in 
Parry's  1st  Voyage. 

24.  Saxifraga  foliolosa.  Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy.  App.  p. 
fclxxv.     Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  13. 

IIab.  North  Somerset ;  Lieut.  Ross. 

25.  Saxifraga  tricuspidata.  Rottb.  in  Act.  Hafn.  v.  10.  p. 
446.  t.  6.  n.  21.  Fl.  Dan.  t.  976.  Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy. 
App.  p.  ccixxiv.     Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  13. 

Hab.  Cape  Warrender;  also  the  Whale  Island;  but  not  in  flower 
there.     Lieut.  Ross. 

26.  Saxifraga  nivalis.  Linn.  Brown  in  Parry's  2d  Voy. 
App.  p.  cclxv.     Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  13. 

Hab.  Port  Bowen.    Regent's  Inlet. 

27.  Saxifraga  caespitosa.     Linn. 

Yar.  surculis  nullis,  foliis  plerumque  trifidis  subciliatis,  caule  iini-tri- 
floro,  calyce  nigro-pubescente  glunduloso.  Hooker  in  Parry  s  2d  Voy. 
App.  p.  13. 

S.  uniflora,  Brown  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  cclxv. 

Hab.  Port  Bowen.     Regent's  Inlet. 

This  is  that  variety  which  Mr.  Brown,  in  his  Appendix  to  the  2d  Voy- 
age,  has  called  <$.  uniflora.  But  the  number  of  flowers  on  its  scape  is 
very  variable. 

28.  Saxifraga  rivularis,  Linn.  Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy. 
App.  p.  13. 


* 


Ki 


BOTANY. 


201 


S.  hyperborea.    Brown  in  Parry^s  1st  Voy.  App.  p.  cclxv. 
Hab.  Whale-Fiah  Islands. 

29.  Saxifraga  cernua.     Linn.     Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy.' 
App.  p.  cclxxv.    Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy,  App.  p.  14. 
Hab.    PortBowen.    Regent's  Inlet, 


14.  Chrysosflenium. 


30.  Chrysosplenium  altemifolium.  Linn.  Brown  in  Par- 
ry's 1st  Voy.  App.  p.  cclxxv.  Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy. 
App.  p.  14.        *    ^^\'      ,  ;  "  \       ;     '      • 

Hab.  North  Somerset,  scarcie.    Lieut,  ftosi.  "  '•'^i^' '^  ,r>'i''   <- 


■^*«/.«-^  ,;;%,■>' •.Mtit)* 


VI.  ROSACE^. 


15.  Dryas. 

31.  Oryas  integrifolia.  Vahl.  Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy. 
App.  p.  cclxxv.    Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  1 5. 

D.  tenella.    Pursh.  ..*   i^>  ,  j-.-j 

Hab.  Whale-Fish  Islands.    Regent's  Inlet. 

Plants  of  this  species,  brought  by  Mr.  Goldie  from  Anticosti,  have  been 
cultivated  for  two  years  in  the  Botanic  Garden  at  Glasgow,  where  they 
still  retain  all  their  characters.  >-        -f  ,'  <?    ,',  t' 

,     '  '  16.    POTENTILLA. 

32.  Potentilla  anserina.     Linn.    ,    i*^f  *N««»f4>*? '^^\    \ 

I.  Granlandica.  (De  Cand.  Prodr.  v.  2.  p.  582)  glabriuscu- 
la,  nana,  foliis  multo  minoribus  paucijugis,  foliolis  obovatis 
rubro-virentibus  subtus  niveis. 

P.  anserina,  Groenlandica,    Tratt.  Syn.  Bot.  P.  iv.  p.  13. 

Hab.  Whale-Fish  Islands.       :   ,  '*  ..\'  '   •  ^     . 

So  different  in  appearance  is  this  horn  our  common  P.  anteritta,  that 
from  the  single  specimen  I  had  at  first  the  opportunity  of  seeing,  and  of 
which  the  blossom  was  also  ui  opened,  I  was  induced  not  only  to  consider 
it  different  from  that  plant,  but  also  to  believe,  that  it  rather  belonged  to 
the  genus  Sievertia  than  Potentilla,  so  n^uch  did  it  resemble  specimens  of 
S.  Rotrii.  Lieut.  Ross,  however,  was  good  enough  afterwards  to  communi- 
cate to  me  other  specimens,  together  with  his  observations  made  upon  the 
living  individuals,  by  which  he  clearly  proved  it  to  be  not  only  a  Potentil' 
la,  but  P.  anserina,  in  that  state  wherein  Professor  Gieseckc  found  it  in 
Greenland,  and  which  both  Trattinick  and  De  Candoll*  Iiavo  described  as 
their  var.  Grarntone/r'ca.  '■*.-.• 

36  • 


^% 


h 


^1 


<"i 


# 


APPENDIX. 


■t 


The  leaves  of  the  smaller  specimeQs  are  not  above  an  inch  and  a  half  in 
length ;  those  of  the  largest  three  inches,  aboVe  quite  glabrous,  the  under- 
side white,  with  a  pubescence  so  short,  so  minute,  and  so  dense,  as  tu  ap> 
pear  to  arise  from  a  pulverulent  substance.  The  scape  is  generally  quite 
glabrous,  but  sometimes  there  are  a  few  impressed  hairs  at  the  upper  ex- 
tremity. Calyx  altogether  glabrous,  its  alternate  smaller  leaflets  iancfeo- 
lato-elliptical  obtuse ;  all  of  them,  asjsre  the  margins  of  the  leaves,  purple. 

Wheii  in  full  flower,  the  segments  of  the  calyx  are  recurved;  as  they 
are  also  in  a  specimen,  given  me  by  Dr.  Richardson,  which  he  had  gather- 
ed in  Arctic  America. 

33.  Potentilla  pulchella.  Brown  in  Parry's  IstVoy.  App. 
p.  cclxxvii.     Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  15. 

Hab.  North  Somerset  and  Regent's  Inlet.      '  '    ,         '"    » 

VII.  ONAGRARIiE.     ? 

'      .  17.   EpiLOpitTM.       • 

34.  Epilobium  latifolium,  Linn.  Hooker  in  Scoresby's  PI. 
of  E.  coast  of  W.  Greenland,  App.  p.  410,  and  in  Parry's  2d 

*  Voy.  App.  p.  16. 

Hab.  Whale  Islands.  Port  Bowen,  and  coast  of  North  Soriierset,  but 
not  in  flower  at  either  plaAe.    Lieut.  Ross. 


vni.  composit:^. 


« 


liB.  Leontodov. 

35.  Leontodon  palustre.  Smith.    Bro^n  in  Parry's  IstVoy. 
App.  p.  cclxxviii.    Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  17. 

Hav.  North  Somerset.  ' 

19.  Cineraria.  * 

36.  Cineraria  congesta.     Brown  in  Parry's  Ist  Voy.  App.  p. 
cclxxix.     Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  17. 

Hab.  Port  Bowen.    Regentfs  Inlet.  ^     . 

Z  20.  Antennaria.        i*-«^^''^^' 

•  fa.^37.  Antennaria  alpina.     Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy.  App.  p, 

cclxxix.    Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p,  17.      \|  .*».-« 


Gnaphalum  Alpinum.     Lino. 
Hab.  Whale-Fish  Islands. 


•a 


1.,  ,V<r, 


P.\.  Chrysanthemum. 
*  38.  Chrysanthemum  integrifolium.    Richardson  in  Frank- 


# 


i       I 


la  half  in 
;he  under- 

,  as  tu  ap- 
rolly  quite 
upper  ex- 
tts  lanc^o- 
es,  purple. 
1 ;  as  they 
lad  gatber- 

oy.  Aipp. 


isby's  PI. 
arry's  2d 

aerset,  but 


ilstVoy. 
p.  17. 

r.  App.p. 


-.*•. 


App.  p. 


n  Frank- 


BOTANT, 


203 


lin's  Journal,  App.  p.  749.    Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App, 
p.  18.  *'  "/ V      ..      .    *    .    • 

Hab.  North  Somerset.    Regent's  Inlet. 


IX.  MONOTROPEiE. 


22.  Pyrola. 

39.  Pyrola  rotundifolia.  Linn.    Brown  in  Ross's  Voy.  ed.  a. 
p.  192.     Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p   19.       .;• 
Hab.  \Vhale  Islands,  not  in  perfect  flower.    Lieut.  Ross. 


>Ji**- 


:*  ^*.     .VI 


.  X.  VACCINIEjE. 

23.  Vaocinium. 
40.  Vaccinium  uliginosu](n.    Linn.     Hooker  in  Parry's  2d 
Voy.  App.  p.  19.  ..*j».MA^,,  -..    ,,.,..  u.,  „.< 


Hab.  Whale-Fish  Islands. 


,  .         .  XL  ERICINEiE. 

'  ^  •'''  fc     '*       24.  Ledum. 

41.  Ledum  palustre.    Linn.    Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy, 
App.  p.  19. 

Hab.  Whale-Fish  Islands.  ' 

•   •  25.  Azalea.  ,  *  ' 

42.  Azalea  procumbens.    Linn.     Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy. 
App.  p.  19.  .      «      .  •  •     '  # 

Hab.  Whale-Fish  Islands.      -  •'  '>i>fe.i  /    .   W*'.'- 

,  26.  Andromeda. 

43.  Andromeda  tetragona.     Linn.     Hooker  in  Scoresby's  E, 
coast  of  W.  Greenland,  App.  410.     Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy 
App.  p.  cclxxxi.     Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  20, 

Hab.  Whale  Islands,  but  not  in  flower.    Lieut.  Ross.    <  * 


»  ;  •■4  <r  .■=«.'•  4 

27.   DiAPENSIA. 

44.  Diapcnsia  lapponica. 

Hab.  Whale  Inland,  very  abundant.       ,   .' 

.»   •. 

28.  Empethum. 
45.  Empetrum  nigrum.    Linn.    Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy. 
App.  p.  20. 
Hab.  Whale-Fish  Islands.      JWsM    > mi  ».-^  H'>Vi  ;».i  ,".«  ."Ml 


%^ 


k  • 


.  .v 


A 


204 


fll 


■  ^^■■. 


APP£NOIX. 

1  * 

Xii-  scrophulahinj:. 


v*'«.ti 


29.  Pedicularis.  "t 

46.  Pedicularis  hirsuta.    Linn.    Hooker  in  Pkrry'a  2d  Voy 
App.  p.  22. 

Hab.  Fort  Bowen,  Regent's  Inlet.  <   . 

f .  .         XIII.  POLYGONE^.         *      '\  '    -    / 

*.     ",  30.    OXTRIA.  '^,  , 

47.  Oxyriareniformis.    Hooker.  Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy. 
App.  p.  cclxxxii.    "           .        ■     •,  .  t 

Rumex  digynus,  Linn.  f Jr»f  xh.»^*«V -»*  /    fi 

Hab.  North  Somerset.    Regent's  Inlet.  .       '       -'•     »    1^''^    ^'   *' 

•  ,.     ••        '31.  Polygonum.    *        .    * 

48.  Polygonum  viviparum.    Linn.    Brown  in  Parry's  1st: 
Voy.  App.  p.  cclxxxi.    Hdoker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  p.  23. 

Hab.  Port  Boweri.    Regent's  Inlet.  '  •  : , 


XIV.  AMENTACEiE. 
-  .*     '    ,  •  •  32.  Salix. 


f^r^mim^-  -^■*? 


49.  Salix  reticulata.    Linn.    Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy. 
App.  p.  24. . 
'  Hab.  Whale  Islands  and  Port  Bowen ;  scarce.  Lieut.  Ross. 
The  specimens  of  this  plant  are  very  small,  not  larger  than  Salix  htrbn- 
cea,-  is  often  to  be  seen  on  the  Scottish  mountains. 
.  50.  Salix  arctica.  Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy.  App.  p.  ccbcxxU. 
Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  24. 
Hab,  Whale-Fish  Islands,  Port  Bowen,  and  Regent's  Inlet. 

51.  Salix  herbJicea.     Linn.     Hooker  in   Parry's   2d   Voy. 

App.  p.    24.  .        ^.,„,).,    ;        .  ..  «,  * 

Hab.  Whale-Fish  Islands, 

52.  Salix  polaris.    Wahl.  FI.  Lapp.    Hooker,  in  account  of 
Capt.  Sabine's  Plants  from  E.  coast  of  W.  Greenland.    Linn, 

Trans,  v,  14.,  p.  387.  ^ 

Hau.  Whale  Islands,  abundant.    Lieut.  Ross.  -  t  4!k>>|!i)>     4>«^ 


V^ 


#«:' 


f 


BOTANT. 


205 


ThiB  plant  was  first  discovered  by  Martins  in  Spitzbergen,  where  Captain 
Sabine  has  since  gathered  it.  It  does  not  seem  to  have  been  found  eke- 
where,  except  in  l^pland,  and  in  the  habitat  above  mentioned. 

-       -'•'  .  '       >•     '    '  .■.- 

'    .      •  .MONOCOTYLEDONES.      '        •»\*«i' 
•  XV.  JUNCEiE.  i^ 


,<s    /^  stii'  i^*-t«jfift. 


33.    JUNOUS. 


•      *  ■ 


53.  Juncus  biglumis.    Lino.    Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy. 
App.  p.  cchLxxii.  .  Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Vby.  App.  p.  24. 

Hai.  Regent's  Inlet.    > 

•.     .      »  ■        '    > 

34.   LVZVLA. 

54.  Luzula  hyperborea.  Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy.'  App.  p. 
cclxxxiii.  ' 

fi.  minor;  foils  latioribus,  bracteis  partialibus  vix  fimbri- 
atis.    Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  25.  >* 

Has.  Regent's  Inlet.       >.,.',  >      ..'  '   •' * 'v 

XVI.  CYPERACEiE.  W,  ^v^    .^4 

•*  .   35.  Carex. 

55.  Carex  fuliginosa.  Stemb.  and  Hopp.  Hooker  in  Parry's 
2d  Voy.  App.  p.  26.  -        ^  V^i  '  "•     t  .r..*r  if.v«v.  V  'V  t^^.  .  : 

Hab.  Whale  Ishnds,  Port  Bowen,  and  North  Somerset.    Lieut!  Ross. 

58.  Carex  membranacea.  Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App. 
p.  26. 

Hab.  North  Somerset.    Lieut.  Ross. 

laeut.  Ross  has  marked  the  specimens  he  has  been  to  good  sis  to  send 
me  "  Carex  compaeta  f"  of  Brown  in  Ross's  Voyage.  I  have  no  means  of 
determining  this  point,  since  I  have  never  seen  an  authentic  specimen,  and 
no  description  has  yet  been  given  of  it.  It  is  certunly  the  same  as  my  C. 
membranacea. 


^<lp,,liai» 


t,.        .  fc    ^      XVII.  GRAMINE.£. 


■%i',  J»''^. 


•  35.  Alofkourus.  •  •         ■      . 

•      «  •  •  ■ 

57.  Alopecurus  alpinus.     Smith.     Brown  in  Parry's   1st 
Voy.  App.  p.  cclxxxiv.    Hooker  in  Parry's  8d  Voy.  App. 

p.  27.  !  ■  ).   r  -? 

Has.  WhaUsFish  Island.    PortBowen.    Regent's  Inlet.     ,     ..  .i^^/ 


I 


#- 


bM 


^4v 


"%. 


%} 


t\ 


306 


APPENDIX. 


tfc 


;dtPoi>l6iii.     '*'      '- .  ' 

58.  Colpodium  latifolium.  Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy.  App/ 
p.  cclxxxvi.  et  cccix.    Hooker  in  Parry's  2nd  Voy.  App.  p.  28. 

CUralc.  .  "  *  ^^,i  ii^  uf ..  i  '  '      ■       :       , 

.     Hab.  Port  Bowen.    Regfent's  Inlet/  '        *.' 

;#,     .  ~  38.  Phippsia.  .       V       '  .,     * 

59.  Phippsia  algida.  Soland.  in  Phipps's  Voy.  p.  200. 
Wahl.  Fl.  Lapp.  p.  25.  t.  1.  Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy.  App. 
p.  clxxxvii.  .■      ,     -  ,     . 

Hab.  North  Somerset.    Lie^t.  Ross.  ■  «  v''4^**.^'%  «    •*** 

•  ;       ■        .  39.  POA.-* 

60.  Poa  abbreviata.    Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy.  App.  p. 

clxxxvii.  ,  ,         ' 

Hab.  Port  Bowen,  very  abundant.    Lieut.  Ross. 
6      Poa    arctica.     Brown   in    Parry's    1st   Voy.    App.   p. 

cclxxxvii.     Hooker  in  Parry's  2nd  Voy.  App.  p.  28. 
Hab.  North  Somerset.    Regent's  Inlet.        ,  -  .' ' 

Var.  Vivipara.  «  ,- V^    ,  ■ 

Hab.  North  Somerset.    Lieut.  Ross,   •  • 

•Us.    »♦    ■'  ■  «  >■ 

'  ..    .*i  fi    .i.^  «"  40.    PLEUROPOGON,  * 

62.  PleUropogon  Sabini.  Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy.  App. 
p.  cclxxxix.  I.  D.    Hooker  in  Parry's  2nd  Voy.  App.  p.  29. 

Hab.  North  Somerset,  scarce.    Lieut.  Ross.  ^.j 

•  '  •»•.*''*■ 

*'''*'■-'  *  ^^  • « 

*  41.  Deschampsia. 

63.  Deschampsia  brevifolia.  Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy. 
App.  ccxci.    Hooker  in  Parry's  2nd  Voy.  App.  p.  29. .  ^^ 

Hab.  Port  Bowen. .  .;^«.*4,'»-i^'*i.^?^i**t«,  ■  .      ■'     '     -^to 

'   .i"    <■.,:■-       ♦^.iv:J:*»^'^  '■  '     4,1*....,,    •;'4ji;^,i  ,-      ;i*. 

'        -   .  42.  Trisetum.  ' 

64.  Trisetum  subspicatum.  Palisot.  Brown  in  Parry's  1st 
Voy.  App.  p.  ccxcii.    Hooker  in  Parry's  2nd  Voy.  App.  p.  29. 


Hab.  North  Somerset,  very  abundant.    Lieut.  Ross. 


»  » 


♦  ,-4   *'*ff50|t' »;?»*.        43.  HiEROOHLOB.      M  mmg'*>n^$A-i%4 . 

65.  Hierochloe  alpina.  Roem.  et  Schult.  Brown  in  Par- 
ry's 1st  Voy.  App.  p.  ccxciii.  Hooker  in  Parry's  2nd  Voy. 
App,  p.  30.     .  1  » 


4 


y;" 


-,— -tx. 


Jfe. 


App. 

p.  28. 


.  200. 
App. 


pp.  p. 

pp.     p.. 


\f.  App. 
29. 


St  Voy. 


rry's  1st 
p.  p.  29. 


in  Pai- 
nd  Voy. 


3 


BOTAnr. 


S07 


Hai.  Cape  Warrender,  and  North  Somerset.    Lieut.  Ross. 
66.  Hierochloe  pauciflora.  Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy.  App. 
p.  ccxcii.     Hooker  in  Parry's  2nd  Voy.  App.  p.  30. 
Hab.  North  Somerset. 


>HPMWP>        ♦    ,j-?»i»,«7u 


y^t'/J   :'m^At  *fir?V  ACOTYLEDONES.     "^  '^' 
b^#^yt^fA^»v4f  '    XVIII.  FILICES. 

44.   A«PIDIUM.  ^     • 

67.  Aspidium  fragile?    Swartz.     Hooker  i,n  Parry's  2nd  : 
Voy.  App.  p.  30.         .'.  .  .     '  •      , 

Hab.  Port  Bowen,  very  scarce.    Lieut.  Ross. 

I  have  put  a  mark  of  doubt  ag^nst  this  plant,  because  the  only  frond  I 
have  seen  is  youngs,  and  destitute  of  fhictification,  and  because  the  pinnx 
appear  to  be  more^vided  than  in  our  European  plant  of  the  same  name. 

•  "  .^    ,  XIX.  LYCOPODINEJE. 

45.  Lyoopodium.      ■    .' 

68.  Lycopodium  Selago.    Linn.    Hooker  in  Parry's  2nd 
Voy.  App.  p.  30. 

Hab.  Whale^Fish Islands.  ,n     -.^**  »♦«  -yuyi^AX  ,   *.»:.,.    ♦  .<■;/ 

--.,'j^  .f<i?;*;  *^?-M.kfi;xx.  Musci.  '■^^J^^^^^^^^^'^'i-'^  ,  ' 

»  '  46.    BrTUM.      .'    :'»i*:*  ".*;>   <!**?►)«.<,« 

69.  Bryum   caespitittiuin.    Linn.    Hooker  in  Parry's   2n(l 
Voy.  App.  p.  31.  .,'•,. 

Hab.  Whale  Islands.    Lieut.  Ross.        ,  ^.  * ,;^  v  ?^^^  ;.**«»  j   f  ■' 

,    J  V   .,   •..       47.  Encalypta. 

*70.  Encalypta  afRnis.    Hedw.    Hooker  in  Parry's  2nd  Voy,^ 

p.  37.  /     _^, 

Hab.  Whale  Islands  andNorth  Somerset.    Lieut.  Ross.  /'  .,* 


48.   POLYTRIOHUM. 


..4Us 


.«  .  ^^tj 


I..      *.<* 


71.  Polytrichum  juniperinum.    Hedw^^boker  in  Parry's 

2nd  Voy.  App.  p.  38.  ..   «  >    '         ,      -W 

Hab.  Whale  Islands.    Lieutenant  Ross.  ,.     :  •>,   _^..      \ 


t 


'  ''j 

'4 


"■    V 


1:1  ■ 


i  ( 


4 


308 

APrSNBIX. 

XXI.  LICHENES. 

"  *•  49.  Gtromora. 

* 


..  r  i 


,  72.   Gyrophora  tesseUta.     Ach.    Hooker  in  Parry's  2nd 
Voy.  App.  p.       *,      ,    ' '        . 
Has.  Port  Bowen,  coUeoted  oflTthetoeks  duringfthe  winter,    laeut. 
»',.,  Ross. 

73.  Gyrophora  erosa.    Ach.    Brown  in  Scoresby's  Arctic 
Regions.    Hpoke^fitt  Parry's  3nd  Voy.  App.  p.  41. 
Hab.  l^^lild^tdaDdfl.  Lieut.  Boss.    .     ,    -       • 


,*  '*«•« 


50.  LboANORA.  ^'J*^'^  f^M^^h  \^ 


74.  Lecanora  elegans.    Ach.    Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy. 
p.  cccv.    Hooker  in  Parry's  3nd  Voy.  App.  p.  43.  «a*f 

Hab.  While  Isluids.    lieut.  Roaa.  .„i 


i  51.  Cbtraru.        '       .  .  . 

75.  Cetraria  islandica.     Ach.  Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy. 
App.  p.  cccvi.    Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  43. 

Hab.  Whale  Islands.    Lieut.  Ross.         ^>,^  ^t^.L.'^^.-. 

76.  Cetraria  juniperina.    Ach.  Brown  in  Parry's, Ist  Voy. 
App.  p.  cccv.    Hooker  iaParry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  43. 

Hab.  Whale  Islands  and  Port  Bowen.    Lieut.  Ross. 

77.  Cetraria  nivalis.    Ach.'  Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy.  App; 
p.  cccvi.  Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  43.        ■         . ' 

Hab.  Whale-Fish  Id&nds.  t      ' 


^-f 


52.  Cenomyce. 


78.  Cenomyce  vermicularis.    Ach.    Hooker  in  Parry's  2d 
Voy.  App»  p.  45.  •  • 

Ce^ania  vermicularis.    Brown  in  Parry's  1st  Voy.  App.  p.- 

cccvii. 
Hab.  Whale  Islands  s  Port  Bowen,  and  North  Somerset.  .  Lieut.  Ross.' 

79.  Cenomyce  rangiferina.     Ach.    Hi^ker  in  Parry's  2d 
Voy.  App.  p.  44.  ,  '  • , 

.  Hab.  Whale  Islands.    Lieut.  Ross. 

-  80.  Cenomyce  pyxidata.    Ach.  Brown  hi  Parry**  let  Voy. 
App.  p.  cccvii.    Hooker  in  Parry's  2d  Voy.  App.  p.  44. 
IIab.  Whale  Ishuids.    Lieut.  Rosi.  "         ■•  ♦'  -^A         i^- 


# 


»;  • 


^4^ 


'■''m^ 


BOTANY. 


209 


81.  Cenomyce   gracilis.     Hooker.    Hooker  in  Parry's  2d 
Voy.  App.  p.  44. 

Hab.  Whale  Islands.    Lieut.  Ross. 

82.  Cenomyce  deformis.    Ach.  Syn.  Lich.  p.  268.    Engh 
Bot.  t.  2051.    Hooker,  Fl.  Scot.  P.  H.  p.  63. 

Hab.  Whale  Islands.    Lieut.  Ross.  ^^^kka 

83.  Cenomyce  coccifera.     Ach.  Syn.  Lich.  p.  269.    Engl. 
Bot.  t.  2051.     Hooker,  FI,  Scot.  P.  H.  p.  63. 

Hab.  M'hale  Islands.    Lieut.  Ross. 

84.  Cenomyce  bellidiflora.    Ach.  Syn.  Lich.  p.  270.  Engl. 
Bot.  t.  1894.    Hooker,  Fl.  Scot.  P.  H.  p.  64.  * 

Hab.  Whale  Islands.    Lieut.  Ross. 


<      • 


u   ^ 


'■  »J 


«    ' 


■i  ■»„ 


97 


W^'^ 


T,    • 


I*- 


t  ^«     ,.*'  (•  ' 


^  IHWillii    ' 


1 


1 


-i^^ 


^- 


f^ 


iJO 


AI'PEI^DIX. 


.*■;■ 


7    J       .. 


%   ''"•      ,_.^--'t  ■»  -.J      .^"■^  -^ 


NOTES    i>'.:V    ..*>if>,j(>'!.4  ■*»-:.,!  f» 


ON  THE  GEOLOGY 


..  '4 


OF  THE 


COUNTRIES  DISCOVERED  DURING  CAPTAIN  PARRY'S  SECOND 


■>i-  n. 


EXPEDITION.    A.  D.  1821-22-23, 
Br  Pbofessmr  Jamesux. 


•>   » 


The  length  of  the  Arctic  winter,  the  frequent  coTcring  of 
snow,  even  during  the  summer  season,  the  extreme  difficulty 
of  land  travelling,  the  necessary  operations  of  the  ships, — all 
militated  against  extensive  and  minute  geological  researches 
in  the  regions  visited  by  the  Expedition.  Notwithstanding 
these  almost  insuperable  barriers  to  the  geologist,  the  activity 
and  enterprise  of  the  officers  of  the  Hecla  and  Fury  have  made 
us  acquainted  in  a  general  way  with  the  geological  nature  of 
those  rude,  dreary,  and  desolate,  although  very  interesting 
countries. 

The  following  few  additional  remarks,  suggested  by  an  ex- 
amination of  the  specimens  of  rocks  collected  by  the  officers 
of  the  Expedition,  and  by  the  details  in  the  Narrative,  were 
written  at  tlie  request  6f  Captain  Parry. 

Form  of  the  Larid. — The  lands  discovered  by  the  Expedition 
during  this  voyage,  with  the  exception  of  Melville  Peninsula, 
are  insular;  and  of  these  latter  Southampton  and  Cockburn  Is- 
lands are  the. largest,  while  Winter  Island  and  Igloolik,  for 
many  reasons,  may  be  considered  as  the  most  interesting. 

The  land,  whether  continental  or  insular,  appears  in  general 
to  be  hilly,  with  comparatively  little  low  and  flat  country.* 
The  hills  are  usually  disposed  in  ranges,  single  hills  seldom 

*  In  the  map  of  Melville  Peninsula,  a  g^eat  tract  appears  without  liills. 
\^tch  is  only  thus  laid  down  because  it  was  not  explored. 


m 


t 


.4 


% 


»i 


m 


4^ 


GEOLOGY. 


211 


appearing  to  rise  from  surrounding  low  and  flat  tracts.  The 
general  direction  of  the  ranges  of  hills  is  not  mentioned  in  the 
Narrative;  but  Captain  Parry  informs  me  that  the  most  con- 
siderable range  met  with  was  in  Melville  Peninsula,  which 
extended  from  tlje  river  Crozier,  in  lat.  695,  towards  Cape 
Germain,  in  lat.  67|,  ranging  S.  by  E.  and  N.  by  W.  The 
lands  are  not  lofty;  the  average  height  may  be  stated  at  800 
feet,  and  the  highest  summits  measured  did  not  exceed  1500 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  valleys  are  narrow  and 
rugged,  and  the  cliffs  and  precipices,  in  their  various  fantastic 
bearings,  sometimes  exhibit  fronts  of  more  than  an  hundred 
feet  of  perpendicular  height.  The  shores  are  either  low,  with 
a  shallow  sea,  or  they  are  rocky  and  clifi"y,  wilh  a  compara- 
tively deep  sea.  The  submarine  land  varies  in  form,  and  also 
in  mineralogical  nature,  as  is  shown  by  the  soundings  recorded 
in  the  Narrative;  and  the  geognostical  relations  of  the  bottom 
of  the  sea  with  the  rocks  of  the  dry  land,  are  in  some  measure 
pointed  out  by  the  facts  stated  by  Captain  Parry*  The  hills 
and  valleys,  during  the  greater  part  of  the  year,  are  deeply 
covered  with  water  (the  most  abundant  of  all  known  mineral 
substances)  in  the  state  of  snow  and  ice.  The  various  beauti- 
ful colours,  and  striking  and  often  highly  picturesque  forms, 
exhibited  by  the  ices  and  snows  of  the  Arctic  Regions,  are  ad- 
mirably depicted  in  the  Narrative;  and  we  doubt  not  that  the 
geologist  would,  in  the  lonely,  snowy,  and  icy  wastes  of  the 
North,  meet  with  splendid  displays  of  those  beautiful  illustra- 
tions of  the  formation  of  strata  and  veins,  and  of  caves  and 
caverns,  which  occur,  although  on  a  small  scale,  during  the 
winter  of  Great  Britain. 

No  a/ii  '<ng8  were  met  with.  Captain  Parry  informs  me  that 
*' no  springs  whatever  were  observed  in  the  Arctic  Regions 
visited  by  him,  the  ground  at  a  short  distance  from  the  surface 
being  perpetually  frozen."  During  the  short  Arctic  summer, 
temporary  superficial  springs  will  flow,  but  those  in  a  few  weeks 
will  be  again  frozen  up.  Hot  springs  are  reported,  in  some 
narratives,  to  have  been  seen  in  old  Greenland;  but  nothing  of 
this  kind  occurred  during  the  course  of  the  Expedition. 


*# 


i 


* 


\* 


«> 


^ 


I 


^2 


APPENDIX. 


Za/tM.— Several  single  lakes,  and  also  chains  of  lakes,  arc 
mentioned  in  the  Narrative.  In  general  they  appear  to  be  of 
inconsiderable  size  and  depth,  the  largest  being  only  two  or 
three  miles  in  length.  In  Melville  Peninsula  lakes  were  met 
with  about  15  fathoms  deep  in  the  places  which  were  sounded; 
and  Captain  Parry  thinks  it  probable  that,  in  other  parts,  some 
of  them  might  be  twice  that  depth.  The  colour  of  the  lake 
water  was,  in  general,  brownish-green,  and  its  transparency 
was  in  no  instance  very  great. 

/?iv<?r».— From  the  limited  extent  of  the  land,  the  rivers  are 
neither  numerous  nor  remarkable  for  size.  Those  most  parti- 
cularly mentioned  in  the  Narrative  are  the  Barrow  and  the 
Crozier,in  Melville  Peninsula,  and  Gifford  River,  in  Cockburn 
Island.  Barrow  River,  in  some  parts  of- the  few  miles  of  its 
course  surveyed,  was  about  200  yards  broad;  and,  near  to  its 
mouth,  varied  in  breadth  from  half  a  mile  to  400  or  500  yards. 
Its  banks  are  frequently  steep  and  lofty,  in  some  places  being 
nearly  200  feet  high,  and  ornamented  by  a  vegetation  unusually 
luxuriant  for  so  severe  a  climate.  But  the  most  striking  fea- 
ture of  this  fine  river  is  its  cascades,  one  of  which  is  represent- 
ed in  a  beautiful  drawing  of  Captain  Lyon's,  admirably  en- 
graved by  Finden.  This  cascade,  with  a  breadth  of  forty  yards, 
is  precipitated  in  one  vast  continuous  sheet  of  water,  almost 
perpendicular,  for  90  feet.  Of  the  Crozier  little  is  recorded. 
"  Opposite  to  their  tents  it  was  about  200  yards  broad,  but  this 
was  only  a  branch  of  the  main  river."  Giflbrd  River  appears  of 
very  considerable  size,  for  we  are  told  in  the  Narrative  that  it 
was  about  a  mile  and  a  half  broad,  and  continued  of  the  samQ 
breadth  for  fifteen  miles. 

5(»7.— The  solid  strata  are  sometimes  covered  with  alluvial 
matter  formed  by  the  action  of  the  weather  on  the  subjacent 
rocks  ;  but  I  do  not  find  the  thickness  of  this  cover  or  sub-soil 
noticed  in  the  narrative.  Captain  Parry,  however,  informs  me, 
that  "  loose  mineral  matter  6f  any  kind  seldom'cxceeds  a  foot 
in  thickness  ;  and  beneath  this  the  ground  is  literally  frozen  as 
hard  as  a  rock,  a  pick-axe  only  bringing  off  dust  and  mere 
fragments,  as  from  a  mass  of  granite."  Over  this  aub-toilVies 
a  layer,  more  or  less  thick,  of  vcgotablc  soil.     Th<;  depth  of  th^ 


i 


GEOL06Y. 


213 


vegetable  soil,  Captain  Parry  informs  me,  "  seldom  exceeds  a 
very  few,  perhaps  from  four  to  five,  inches,  and  that  only  in  a 
few  insulated  spots,  sheltered  and  otherwise  favourable  for  ve- 
getation." More  frequently,  however,  the  bare  surfaces  of 
the  strata  are  exposed  to  the  weather,  and  on  these,  and  in  the 
chinks  of  the  rocks,  a  few  plants,  frequently  cryptogamous,  are 
seen  struggling  for  existence. 

/?of^«.— The  general  aspect  of  these  Arctic  lands,  already 
noticed,  announce  the  nature  of  the  prevailing  rock  formations. 
These  appear  to  belong  to  the  primitive,  and  occasionally  to 
the  transition  classes.  Of  the  interesting  secondary  formations 
little  was  met  with.  The  alluvial  strata  are  not  particularly 
noticed  in  the  Narrative ;  and  no  modem  volcanic  rocks  were 
seen  by  the  officers  of  the  Expedition. 

General  direction  of  the  Strata. — We  do  not^nd,  in  the 
Narrative,  any  observations  which  could  lead  us  to  state  with 
certainty  this  feature  in  the  arrangement  of  the  strata. 


M 


'ft? 


I.    PRIMITIVE  ROCKS. 


The  following  rocks  of  this  great  class  were  met  with,  viz.: 
Granite,  Gneis,  Mica-slate,  Eurite-Porphyry,  Hornblende-rock, 
Hornblende-slate,  Primitive  Greenstone,  and  Primitive  Lime- 
stone. All  these  rocks  occur  m9re  or  less  distinctly  stratified, 
and  numberless  transitions  of  the  one  into  the  other  were  ob- 
served. Comparatively  few  interesting  veins  occur,  and  of 
these  none  remarkable  either  for  breadth  or  extent  were  met 
with.  ^ 

ORAKITE.  •        •  . 

This  rock,  which  in  general  is  composed  of  felspar,  quartz, 
and  mica,  exhibits  the  following  characters.  Some  varieties 
are  grey  or  white,  others  red,  and  these  tints  are  owing  to  the 
colour  of  the  felspar  or  quartz.  The  red  varirties  appear  to 
be  the  most  abundant,  and  of  these  the  most  beautiful  owe  their 
fine  colours  to  flesh-red  felspar.  The  quartz  in  general  is  grey- 
«  oloured,  and  simply  thranslucent.     In  some  varities,  however, 


I  i 


y 


214 


APPENDIX. 


T  « 


;# 


it  was  in  the  state  of  grey  and  brown  rock-crystal,  which,  when 
in  cavities,  is  regularly  crystallized.  The  mica,  which  varies 
in  colour,  from  grey  to  deep-brown  inclining  to  black,  was,  in 
some  specimens,  crystallized  in  tables;  but  we  have  not  learned 
that  it  had  been  met  with  in  large  plates  in  the  granite,  or  in 
any  other  of  the  primitive  i-ocks.  Some  of  the  granites  are 
without  mica,  and  therefore  composed  of  quartz  and  felspar. 
Others  consist  principally  of  felspar  and  mica ;  and  on  the 
coast  to  the  north  of  Cape  Wilson  the  granites  were  frequently 
almost  entirely  composed  of  felspar.  Of  all  the  varieties  of 
the  granular  structure,  the  coarse  granular  is  the  most  frequent, 
the  collection  containing  but  few  specimens  of  the  small  and 
fine  granular.  Some  varieties  are  beautifully  porphyritic,  as 
those  from  Duke  of  York's  Bay,  and  the  island  of  Neerlo- 
Nakto,  Igloolik,  and  the  south  shore  of  the  Strait  of  the  Fury 
and  Hecla ;  wtiile  others  exhibit  the  graphic  structure,  form- 
ing the  grajihic  granite  of  authors.  The  columnar,  tabular, 
and  globular  structures  were  not  observed  in  any  of  the  gra- 
nites, nor  do  we  find  that  granite  distinctly  stratified  was  met 
with  in  Melville  Peninsula,  or  in  any  of  the  islands.  The 
following  imbedded  minerals  occur  in  the  granite  : — 

1.  Rose   Quartz^  in  veins,  in  Lyon's  Inlet,  also  in  Winter 
Island,  on  the  coast  north  of  Cape  Wilson,  at  Neerio-Nakto,* 
and  Liddon  Island. 

2.  ^ctunolite,  Lyon's  Inlet.       .    .         »       . 

3.  Pistacite  or  Ji/iidote.  Thfs  mineral,  generally  of  a  yellow- 
ish-green colour,  occurs  either  disseminated  in  minute  patch- 
es in  the  felspar  or  quartz,  ot-  in  beautiful  small  crystals  in 
drusy  cavities  in  Winter  Island,  Lyon's  Inlet,  near  Moyle  Bay, 
and  on  the  coast  to  the  north  of  Cape  Wilson. 

4.  PreciouH  Gariiei  transparent,  and  of  a  fine  columbine- 
red  colour,  in  Lyon's  Inlet  and  Winter  Island. 

5.  Chlorite.  In  this  variety  the  chlorite  takes  the  place  of 
the  mica,  forming  the  rock  named  firotogine  by  authors,  and  of 
which  the  summit  of  Mont  Blaiic  in  Switzerland  is  composed. 
It  was  met  with  in  Winter  Island  and  Lyon's  Inlet.       -,*  .,,    h„ 

6.  Schorl.  InVVinter  Island  a  granite  was  picked  up  con- 
taining schorl,  and  very  minute  crystals  of  beryl.    Schorla- 


0    * 


#* 


GEOLOGY. 


vhen 
aries 
is,  in 
irned 
or  in 
s  are 
Ispar. 
n  the 
aently 
ies  of 
quent, 
11  and 
tic,  as 
Jeerlo- 
eFury 
,  form- 
abular, 
he  gra- 
(ras  met 
.    The 

Winter 
■Nakto,- 


yellow- 
patch- 

itals  in 
e  Bay, 

imbine- 

)lace  of 
and  of 
nposed. 

up  con- 
jchorla- 


Ceous  granite  was  also  found  on  the  coast  north  of  Cape  Wil- 
son.        . 

7.  Cocolite.    In  a  small  piece  of  granite  found  on  the  coast 
north  of  Cape  Wilson, 

,8.  Zircon.  In  a  small  fragment  from  Barrow  river,  minute 
crystals,  apparently  of  zircon. 

9;  Grafthite  or  Black-lead,  in  disseminated  grains  and  crys- 
tals, in  Winter  Island  and  on  the  hanks  of  Barrow  River. 

10.  S/iecular  Iron  Ore,  in  granite  in  Winter  Island. 

11.  Iron  Pyrites.  This  mifteral,  which  is  one  of  the  most 
generally  distributed  of  the  metalliferous  compounds  in  dif- 
ferent countries,  was  observed  in  the  granite  of  Winter  Island, 
that  of  Safety  Cove,  and  the  coast  north  of  Cape  Wilson. 

'  Geognostical  Position  of  the  Granite. — Neither  the  details 
before  us  nor  the  specimens,  allow  us  to  infer  with  anything 
like  certainty  the  place  or  places,  in  the  primitive  series,  oc- 
cupied by  the  granite  here  described.  Some  of  the-  varieties 
very  much  resemble  those  that  form  part  of  the  granite-gneiss 
forniation ;  others  may  belong  to  the  varieties  that  occur  in 
vast  masses  underlying  gneiss. 

Geografihical  Distribution  of  the  Granite.— Specimens'  were 
brought  from  the  shore  of  the  Duke  of  York's  Bay,  Lyon's 
Inlet,  Five-hawser  Bay,  Upper  Savage  Island,  west  shore  of 
York  Inlet,  head  of  Gore  Bay,  Ducket  Cove,  Winter  Island, 
near  Moyle  Bay,  Safety  Cove,  coast  north  of  Cape  Wilson, 
Owlitteeweek  Island,  Barrow  River,  Igloolik,  Neerlo-Nakto 
island  westward  of  Igloolik,  south  shore  of  the  Strait  of  the 
Fury  and  Hecla,Coxe's  Islands,  Richards  Bay,  Amherst  Island, 
and  Liddon  Island.  ,.         ,        ,      >  ..•.«,»  .  li.' 


II.  GNEISS. 


♦> 


The  colours  of  this  rock  arc  red  and  grey,  and  its  fracture  is 
sometimes  coarse,  sometimes  fine  slaty.  The  concretions  vary 
in  size  from  coarse  to  fine  granular,  and  the  coarse  granular 
varieties  sometimes  pass  into  granite.  Judging  from  the  col- 
lection, and  the  details  in  the  Narrative,  gneiss  appears  to  be 
the  most  al)undant  of  all  the  primitive  rocks  in  the  countries 


m 


n 


.1 


216 


APPENDIX. 


explored  by  the  Expedition.  Th^  following  imbedded  mine- 
rals were  found  in  it :— r 

I.  Precious  Garnet.  This  beautiful  gem  occurs  abundantly 
in  grey  gneiss  in  Five-hawser  Bay,  also  in  Winter  Island,  where 
hyacinth  red  garnets  are  associated  with  rock-crystal,  in  Lyon's 
Inlet,  and  in  the  rocks  of  S^ifety  Cove. 

3.  Hose  .Quartz.  In  the  Narrative,  it  is  remarked  of  Ren- 
dezvous Island,  that  it  is  composed  of  gneiss,  traversed  by  rich 
veins  of  rose  quartz,  and  that  large  masses  of  the  same  were 
lying  around.  •  , 

3.  Actynolite,  in  the  gneiss  on. the  banks  of  Barrow  River. 

4.  Gra/ihitCj  or  Black  Lead.  In  Winter  Island,  Five- 
hawser  Bay,  coast  to  the  North  of  Cape  Wilson.  W>'    ?  >' 

5.  Magnetic  Iron  Pyrites^  in  the  gneiss  on  the  coast  to  the 
north  of  Cape  Wilson. 

6.  Common  Iron  Pyritesy on  the  coast  to  the  north  of  Cape 
Wilson.  , 

Geografihical  diatriOution.— Shore  of  Duke  of  York's  Bay, 
Vansittart  Island,  Upper  Savage  Island,  York  Inlet,  liead 
of  Gore  Bay,  near  Cape  Wellsford,  Winter  Island,  near  Moyle 
Bay,  Safety  Cove,  coast  north  of  Cape  Wilson,  Owlitteeweek 
Island,  Barrow  River,  Richards  Bay,  and  Igloolik.  Other 
localities  are  given  in  the  Narrative.      >,  h  -  f*  " -• 


III,  MICA-SLATE. 


t' 


It 


This  slaty  compound  of  mica  and  quartz  occurs  in  compara- 
tively small  quantity,  and,  judging  from  the  details  and  speci- 
mens, seems  in  general  to  form  beds  subordinate  to  the  gneiss, 
which,  as  already  mentioned,  is  the  prevailing  formation  in  the 
Arctic  countries  discovered  by  the  Expedition.  Some  varie- 
ties appear  passing  into  clay-slate,  and  these  may  be  more  con- 
nected with  the  clay-slate  than  with  the  gneiss.  The  follow- 
ing minerals  occur  imbedded  i— 

1 .  Hornblende,  in  the  rocks  of  Five-hawser  Bay,  and  in  those 
of  Neerlo-Nakto.  -.s*  i     "     • 

2.  jtctynolite.    Five-hawser  Bay.      *      .     ! 

1.  Tremolite.    Five-hawser  Bay.  «  » 


•  * 


ded  mine- 
abundantly 
and,  where 
I,  in  Lyon's 

id  of  Ren- 
sed  by  rich 
same  were 

w  River, 
and,  Five- 

joast  to  the 

'th  of  Cape 

fork's  Bay, 
Inlet,  "head 

near  Moyle 
wlitteeweek 

ik.  Olher 
r*  --,. 


in  compara- 
and  speci- 
the  gneiss, 
nation  in  the 
Some  varie- 
)e  more  con- 
The  follow- 

and  in  those 


eEOLOGT. 


S17 


4.  Freeioua  Garnet  and  Grenatite.  These  were  detected 
in  a  small  specimen  from  Igloolik. 

5.  Rock  Cryatalj  in  small  clove-brown  and  brownish-black 
crystals,  at  Five-hawser  Bay.  • 

6.  Common  Iron  Pyrites,  and  Magnetic  Iron  Pyritea,  in  spcr 
cimens  gathered  in  Igloolik. 

Geografihical  Distribution.'— -hyon's  Inlet,  Winter  Island  in 
considerable  quantity,  coast  north  of  Cape  Wilson,  Igloolik, 
south  shore  of  the  Strait  of  the  Fury  and  Hecla,  Quilliam, 
Creek,  and  fiouverie  Island.  , 

•         '  .      IT.  CLAY-SLATE.  '  •  ' 

This  rock  appears  to  have  been  met  with  even  less  frequently 
than  the  mica-slate.  It  is  noted  as  occurring  in  Winter  Island, 
Richards  Bay,  where  it  contains  imbedded  iron-pyrites,  the 
coast  to  the  northward  of  Cape  Wilson,  and  in  Bouverie 
Island.  ^  , .     .  .     , 

*       •      -       .  V.  CHLORITE-SLATE.  ... 

This  rock  occurs  more  abundantly  than  either  mica-slate  or 
clay-slate,  but  not  in  such  quantity  as  the  quartz-rock  of  the 
transition  class.  The  following  imbedded  minerals  were  met 
with  in  it  :•— 

1.  Actynolite. 

2.  Hornblende. 

3.  Felafiar  of  a  red  colour. 

4.  Indurated  Talc,  or  Talc-slate^  in  Winter  Island,  and  wiUi 
apple-green  talc  in  Igloolik. 

5.  Massive  Common  Chlorite,  on  the  coast  north  of  Cape 
Wilson. 

6.  Calcareous  Spar  and  Rhomb  Sfiar:  South  shore  of  the 
Strait  of  the  Fury  and  Hecla,  also  in  Igloolik. 

7.  Precious  Garnet,  in  Igloolik. 

8.  Octahedral  crystals  of  Magnetic  Iron  Ore.  Barrow 
River. 

9.  Red  Iron  Ore. 

10.  Iron  Pyrites. 

Geografihical  Distribution. — Lyon's  Inlet,  Winter  Island, 

28 


\  H, 


<Wi 


•> 


21S 


APPENDIX. 


coast  to  the  northward  of  Cape  Wilson,  Barrow  River,  Igloolik, 
south  shore  of  the  Strait  of  the  Fury  and  Hecla,  Neerlo-Nakto, 
Quilliam  Creek,  Bouverie  IsUnd,  Amherst  Island,  Liddon 
Island,  and  Richards  Bay.    ,  V  ,,  <     ^-.        i     . 


a 


VI.   HORNBLENDE. 

This  mineral  occurs  in  the  form  of  beds,  and  also  dissemi- 
nated, in  the  other  primitive  formations.  Sometimes  themass 
is  almost  entirely  of  hornblende,  when  it  is  named  hornblende- 
rock,  of  which  beds  occur  at  the  head  of  Gore  Bay,  in  Lyon's 
Inlet,  Safety  Cove,  Winter  Island,  coast  north  of  Cape  Wilson, 
Five-hawser  Bay,  and  Tern  Island.  When  the  hornblende  is 
arranged  so  as  to  form  a  slaty  rock,  it  is  named  hornblende- 
slate,  of  which  beds  were  met  with  in  Winter  Island.  When 
the  hornblende  is  associated  with  felspar,  the  compound  is 
named  greenstone,  of  which  examples  were  found  in  Igloolik, 
and  in  the  island  of  Neerlo-Nakto, 

The  imbedded  minerals  in  these  rocks  are  felspar,  mica, 
chlorite,  actynolite,  quartz,  diallage,  common  iron  pyrites,  and 
magnetic  pyrites.  It  may  be  remarked  that  the  variety  of  horn- 
blende named  actynolite  appears  also  to  occur  in  beds  asso- 
ciated with  the  hornblende  and  other  primitive  rocks. 

VII.    SERPENTINE. 

This  rock,  considered  by  some  as  a  compound  of  diallage  and 
felspar,  by  others  as  a  simple  mountain  rock,  was  met  with  in 
different  quarters.  Its  colours  are  dark  leek-green  and  greenish 
black  ;  the  lustre  glimmering  ;  the  fracture  splintery,  or  splin- 
tery conjoined  with  conchoidal ;  more  or  less  translucent.  The 
following  imbedded  minerals  were  observed  :—  , 

1.  Brown  Diallage.  ^,  .'  »  ,^      .... 

2.  Glassy  .Actynolite.  ,,,,     ^       '   ,    .     . 

3.  Fibrous  Greenish-gray  Talc,  i     . 

4.  Flexible  Asbestus. 

5.  Rhomb-s/iar  and  Calcareous-ajiar. 

6.  Chrome  Ore  or  Chromate  of  Iron.  , 

7.  Magnetic  Iron  Ore.  ^ 

8.  Iron  Pyrites,  .'.  a 


GEOLOGY. 


2iy 


gloolik; 
-NaktOy 
Liddon 


Geogratihical  Distribution. — Lyon's  Inlet,  near  Moyle  Bay, 
in  Winter  Island,  Liddon  Island,  Neerlo-Nakto,  and  Bouverie 
Island. 


iissemi- 
he-mass 
nblende- 
\  Lyon's 
Wilson, 
jlende  is 
•nblende- 
When 
pound  is 
Igloolik, 

ir,  mica, 
rites,  and 
f  of  hom- 
eds  asso- 


llage  and 

with  in 

greenish 

or  splin- 

;ent.  The 


VIII.   LIMESTONE. 

i 

All  the  varieties  of  this  rock  in  the  collection  are  composed 
of  coarse  and  small  granular  concretions,  loosely  aggregated, 
and  the  only  colours  observed  were  snow-white  and  greyish- 
white.    The  following  imbedded  minerals  occur  in  it : — 

1 .  Small  but  beautiful  crystals  of  IMica,  at  Five-hawser  Bay, 
and  in  Winter  Island  and  Barrow  River. 

2.  ^ugite^  at  Lyon's  Inlet,  Barrow  River,  and  Winter  Island. 

3.  With  Serfientine^  forming  Verde-antico.  Winter  Island. 

4.  Precious  Serpentine.   .Winter  Island. 

5.  Sfihene^  and  Titafiitic  Iron.     Winter  Island. 

6.  Gra/ihite  or  Black  Lead.  Coast  northward  of  Cape  Wil- 
son, Barrow  River,  and  Igloolik. 

Geographical  Distribution. — Five-hawser  Bay,  Lyon's  Inlet, 
Winter  Island,  coast  northward  of  Cape  Wilson,  Barrow  River, 
and  Igloolik.         •  •  .   . 

IX.   PORPHYIIY.  ,  '     • 

In  the  collection  of  rocks  I  found  but  one  specimen  of  por- 
phyry, which  is  eurite  porphyry,  a  rock  which  may  be  consi- 
dered as  a  variety  of  granite.  It  was  found  in  Five-hawser  Bay. 
The  total  absence  of  porphyry  in  the  primitive  districts  visited 
by  Captain  Parry  is  worthy  of  notice. 


IL  TRANSITION  ROCKS. 

The  following  rocks,  apparently  belonging  to  this  class,  were 
met  with  in  different  places  :  viz..  Red  Sandstone  and  Quartz- 
rock,  Groywackc-slatc,  Drawing-slate,  FUnty-slate,  and  Lime- 
stone. .  . 


■•^* 


I.. 


I 


;    ti 


m 


^ 


ifa 


:i20 


APF£NDI$. 


1 .    qUARTZ-ROOK  AND  RED  SANDSTONE. 


Red  and  variegated  Sandstone  of  the  JVarrative.  Old  Red  Sand- 
atone  and  Transition  Quartz-rock,  Transition  Red  Sandstone, 
and  Recent  or  Mew  Greywacke  of  authors. 

This  interesting  rock  is  composed  of  granular  quartz,  some- 
times nearly  in  the  state  of  rock  crystal.  The  granular  is  some- 
times combined  with  the  slaty  structure  in  those  varieties  in 
which  mica  prevails.  Grains  and  crystals  of  felspar  are  oc- 
casionally distributed  through  it.  The  felspar  is  either  fresh, 
or  more  or  less  disintegrated.  Some  varieties  have  a  structure 
apparently  conglomerated,  and  others  bear  a  striking  resem- 
blance to  the  gritstone  which  lies  under  the  coal  formation. 
Some  varieties,  met  with  in  Neerlo-Nakto,  are  vesicular,  the 
walls  of  the  vesicular  cavities  being  lined  with  small  crystals 
of  quartz,  and  bear  a  distant  resemblance  to  Buhr-atone.  The 
colours  are  white,  grey,  purple,  and  red';  and  sometimes  the 
colours  are  arranged  in  stripes.  The  white,  or  grey  and  hard 
varieties  may  be  considered  as  transition  quartz-rock ;  ihe  red 
and  variegated  as  transition  red  sandstone  or  recent  greywacke. 
The  following  imbedded  minerals  occur  in  it : — 

1.  Felspar. 

2.  Mica. 

3.  Chlorite.    This  variety  is  either  slaty  or  massive. 

4.  P^.le  Rose  Quartz,  at  Lyon's  Inlet. 

5.  Efiidote,  or  Pistacite.  This  mineral,  minutely  dissemina- 
ted, gives,  we  presume,  the  yellowish->:''een  colour  to  some 
rare  varieties  of  this  rock. 

6.  Rock  Crystal,  in  small  crystals,  in  cavities  of  quartz- 
rock  in  Liddon  Island. 

7.  Schorl,  in  the  quartz-rock  of  Winter  Island. 

8.  Red  Iron  Ore,     Neerlo-Nakto. 

9.  Crystals  of  Common  Iron  Glance  and  Red  Iro7t  Ore,  iu 
Liddon  Island,  and  Neerlo  Nakto.  Scaly  foliated  iron  glance 
in  Liddon  Island,  and  at  Cape  Matthew  Smith.  Here  also, 
small  foliated  iron  glance  alternates  in  layers  with  small-gran- 
ular white  quartz-rock. 

10.  Scaly  foliated  Iron  Glance,  Ricliard's  Bay ;  and  the  same 
associated  with  red  iron  froth  in  specimens  from  Igloolik. 


■IS?". "<**•■. 


O£0L0Or. 


:i2l 


led  Sand- 
'andatoncj 

tz,  some- 

r  is  some- 

irieties  in 

are  oc- 

ler  fresh, 

structure 

g  resem- 

brmation. 

:ular,  the 

II  crystals 

one.    The 

times  the 

and  hard 

: ;  the  red 

reywacke. 


i^e. 


11.  Comfiact  Red  Iron  Ore,  at  Cape  Matthew  Smiti-,  an« 
Richards  Bay ;  also  in  Bouverie  Island,  along  with  qua  tz  in- 
clining to  rock-crystal,  and  also  in  Amherst  Island. 

12.  Co/i/ter  Pj/ri/M  with  Co/i/i<rr  Green  ;  also  copper  pyrites 
with  compact  iron  glance,  in  Richards  Bay. 

13.  Quartz-rock,  in  which  the  grains  or  concretions  appear 
to  be  connected  together  by  copper  pyrites,  and  the  surface 
stained  with  Green  Malachite. 

14.  Quartz-Rock  with  Magnetic  Iron  Ore. 

Geognoatic  Sititation. — This  rock  appears  to  belong  to  the 
transition  class.  It  very  much  resembles,  in  its  associations, 
the  transition  quartz-rock  and  red  sandstone  of  Scotland,  as 
that  of  Sutherland  and  Caithness.  It  may  be  remarked,  that 
probably  some  of  the  specimens  of  quartz-rock  enumerated 
above,  as  those  with  schorl,  may  belong  to  the  primitive  class. 

Geographical  Diatribution.— Upper  Savage  Islands,  west 
shore  of  Duke  of  York's  Bay,  Five-hawser  Bay,  Lyon's'ltolct, 
Winter  Island,  Safety  Cove,  island  of  Owlitteeweek,  island  oft' 
Cape  Wilson,  coast  north  of  Cape  Wilson,  Igloolik,  Cape 
North-east,  south  shore  of  the  Strait  of  the  Fury  and  Hecla, 
Neerlo-Naktb,  Quilliam  Creek,  Richards  Bay,  Bouverie  Island, 
Amherst  Island,  Liddon  Island,  along  the  south  shore  of  Cock- 
burn  Island  onward  to  Whyte  Inlet. 


I't: 


IM 


I 


(Uhl 


lissemina- 
r  to  some 

f   quartz- 


71  Ore  J  in 
•on  glance 
tiere  also, 
uall-gran- 

l  the  same 
3olik. 


II.    GREYWAOKE,   GREYWAOKE-SLATE,  AND   TRANSITION    CLAY- 
SLATE. 

Greywacke  and  Greywacke-slate,  with  disseminated  iron 
pyrites,  occur  in  Winter-Island,  at  Neerlo-Nakto,  and  in  Am- 
herst Island.  The  transition  clay-slate  was  met  M'ith  in  Bou- 
verie Island. 

III.   FLINTY-SLATE   AND   DRAWING-SLATE. 

The  only  specimen  of  flinty-slate  is  one  from  Lyon's  Inlet. 
The  drawing-slate  was  seen  in  Winter  Island,  and  specimens 
of  it  with  diaseminated  iron  pyrites  wera.  picked  up  in 
Igloolik. 


I 


.1 


Iti1 


232 


APPENDIX. 


IV.   TRANSITION   LIME8T0NK. 


From  the  Narrative,  it  appears  that  Amherst  Island  is  prin- 
cipally composed  of  greywacke  and  greywacke-slate ;  and  along 
with  these  is  a  limestone,  probably  belonging  to  the  transition 


class. 


III.  SECONDARY  ROCKS.       . 

The  only  secondary  rocks  of  which  specimens  were  brought 
home,  are  limestone,  bituminous  shale,  and  secondary  trap. 

',  •.  I.    LIMESTONE.         •  '         •  .    ^       • 

Mountain  Limestone,  or  First  Secondary  Limestone:  the  Tran- 
sition Limestone  of  som6  geologists. 

The  colours  of  this  limestone  are  yellowish-grey,  yellowish- 
white,  and  ochrc-yellow.  In  some  varieties  the  fracture  is 
coarse  splintery,  combined  with  minute-foliated ;  in  others  the 
general  fracture  is  foliated,  and  throughout  the  mass  are  cavi- 
ties the  walls  of  which  are  lined  with  rhomboidal  crystals. 
Other  varieties  again  have  a  slaty  fracture;  lustre  glimmering 
or  shining,  and  translucent  on  the  edges,  or  opaque.  Flint  and 
conchoidal  hornstone  occur  imbedded  in  it.  It  contains  vari- 
ous organic  remains.  The  following  occur  in  the  limestone  of 
the  island  of  Igl.oolik.  Corals,  two  genera,  viz.,  Caryofihyllea 
and  jlstrxa.  A  species  o''  a  new  genus  of  coral  was  found  in  a 
piece  of  limestone  by  that  excellent  observer  Mr.  Stokes,  who 
communicated  the  following  account  of  it :— •"  The  new  fossil 
coral  is  a  flat  lobe,  covered  on  both  sides  with  pores,  which  are 
obscurely  laminated,  and  each  pore  or  cell  is  continued  through 
the  substance  of  the  coral.  The  cells  are  arranged  in  curved 
radii  from  a  centre,  like  the  lines  upon  an  engine-turned  watch- 
case,  and  (which  is  unusual  in  corals)  increase  in  size  as  they 
are  more  distant  from  the  centre.  On  one  surface  the  cells  ap- 
pear to  be  all  four-sided,  in  which  respect  also  they  differ  from 
all  other  corals."  Casts  of  two  species  of  Trilobitesy  one- spe- 
cies o{  JiroductuSy  a  species  of  terebratula,  a  species  of  trocfius, 
a  turritella,  a  macluritCy  and  also  a  nautilus  and  orthoceras  were 
detected  in  the  limestone. 


OEOLOGT. 


223 


Of  all  the  fossil  organic  remains,  the  most  abundant  in  the 
collection  is  a  species  of  orthocera,  similar  to  one  sent  me 
some  years  ago  from  an  island  in  Lake  Huron,  by  the  Hon. 
Mr.  Maule,  and  of  which  a  figure  is  given  in  the  first  volume 
of  the  new  series  of  the  Transactions  of  the  Geological  Society. 

Geografihical  Distribution.-— ^\io^\  in  York  Bay,  west  shore 
of  York  Bay,  Ducket  Cove,  Amitioke,  Pingitkalik,  Arlagnuk, 
MoggBay,  and  Quilliam  Creek,  in  Melville  Peninsula;  Win- 
ter Island.  1  yon  Inlet,  Safety  Cove,  Igloolik,  Tern  Island,  is- 
land of  Owlitteeweek,  Bouverie  Island,  and  Amherst  Island. 
The  island  of  Igloolik,  which  is  very  low  and  rather  level,  is 
almost  entirely  composed  of  this  limestone.  The  specimens 
of  primitive  rocks  from  that  island  in  the  collection.  Captain 
Parry  informs  me  were  broken  from  detached  masses,  lying 
on  the  surface  of  the  limestone,  there  being  no  fixed  primitive 
rock  in  the  island.  The  next  island  to  the  north-west,  called 
Neerlo-Nakto,  is  also  principally  composed  of  limestone,  but 
abounding  much  more  than  Igloolik  in  fragments  of  primitive 
rock. 


/it 


II.   BITUMINOUS    SHALE. 


Specimens  of  this  rock  from  Lyon's  Inlet  and  Winter  Island, 
are  in  the  collection.  It  is  a  common  rock  in  the  coal  forma- 
tion ;  but  of  that  formation  no  other  trace  was  met  with. 


I 


III.    SECONDARY   GREENSTONE. 


This  rock,  which  is  a  compound  of  augite  and  felspar,  was 
met  with  in  different  places ;  but  its  particular  geognostic  re- 
lations are  not  given,  and  cannot  be  inferred  with  any  certainty 
from  the  data  before  us.  Specimens  were  collected  in  Lyon's 
Inlet ;  at  Safety  Cove,  where  it  is  porphyritic ;  in  Winter  Is- 
land, where  it  has  titanitic  iron  ore  disseminated  through  it, 
and  sometimes  is  iron-shot  and  porphyritic.  On  the  coast  to 
the  north  of  Cape  Wilson  it  contains  veins  of  calcareous  spar. 
It  was  met  with  in  Tern  Island,  also  in  Amherst  Island,  and  in 
Whyte's  Inlet,  in  Cockbum  Island. 


I 


224 


APPENDIX. 


) 


i 


IV.  ALLUVIAL  ROCKS. 

No  extensive  deposites  of  alluvial  rocks  were  met  with.  The 
most  striking  objects  under  this  head  are  the  outliers  or  boul- 
ders or  fragments  of  rocks  found  spread  over  the  surface  of 
some  of  the  islands.  The  surface  of  Igloolik,  a  limestone  is- 
land, is  strewed  with  blocks  of  primitive  rocks;  the  island  of 
Neerlo-Nakto,  which  is  principally  composed  of  limestone,  is 
also  strewed  over  with  primitive  blocks  or  boulders ;  and  in 
Amherst  Island,  in  which  greywacke  and  greywacke-slate  are 
almost  the  only  rocks,  rolled  masses  or  boulders  of  granite, 
gneiss  and  quartz*rock)  are  not  uncommon. 


■^.^- 


eEOLOGY. 


^225 


NOTES  ON  THE  GEOLOGY 

OF    THE 

COUNTRIES  VISITED  DURING  CAPTAIN  PARRY'S  THIRD 

VOYAGE. 


The  first  landing  was  made  on  the  Whale-fish  Islands,  on  the 
east  coast  of  Baffin's  Bay,  which  my  friend  and  pupil.  Dr.  Neill, 
as  mentioned  in  the  Narrative,  found  to  be  composed  of  gneiss. 
On  crossing  Davis'  Straits,  the  next  land  visited  was  Cape 
Warrender,  where  all  the  fixed  rocks,  according  to  Dr.  Neill, 
proved  to  be  primitive,  and  the  principal  or  only  formation 
gneiss,  which,  as  is  very  generally  the  case  with  that  rock  in 
these  Arctic  countries,  abounded  with  imbedded  grains  and 
crystals  of  precious  garnet.     Nodules  of  clay  iron  ore  were 
found  on  the  beach,  but  want  of  time  prevented  their  original 
position  from  being  determined.     The  ice  having  forced  the 
vessels  close  to  the  land  a  little  to  the  eastward  of  Admiralty 
Inlet,  on  the   south  coast  of  Barrow's  Strait,  a  landing  was 
effectecL    The  country,  as  far  as  Dr  Neill  penetrated,  was  of 
compact  secondary  limestone.     On  the  f)carh  were  fragments 
of  bituminous  slate  and  of  ironstone.     Mr.  Ross  found  pieces 
uf  coal  about  two-thirds  up  a  small  peak  of  limestone.     The 
coal.  Dr.  Neill  informs  me,  was  not  bluck,  but  brown  coal,  and 
therefore  belongs  to  a  new  formation  of  that  mineral.     The 
vessels  now  forced  their  way  to  I'ortBowcn  in  Prince  Regent's 
Inlet,   where   they  rcniuincd  during-  the   winter.     Expeditions 
were  made  from  |?ort  Howcn  toward  the  north  and  toward  the 
south,  also  tc  the  west  side  of  the  Inlet  upon  the  coast  called 
Nortl»»Somcrsct.    The  whole  country  travelled  over  on  both 
sides  of  the  inlet  appeared  to  consist  of  secondary  limestone, 
with  subsidiftry  beds  of  gypsum.     No  high  land  was  met  with ; 


; 


I 


ii= 


•226 


APPENDIX. 


but  on  the  coast,  as  at  Cape  York,  perpendicular  and  high  limC" 
stone  cliffs  made  their  appearance.  The  specimens  of  lime- 
stone in  the  collection  sent  ibr  my  inspection  exhibited  the  fol- 
lowing characters  :— 


1.  Secondary  Limestone  of  Port  Bowen,  JVeiWa  Harbour,  is'c. 

Its  colours  are  ash-grey  and  yellowish-grey,  more  or  less  incli- 
ning to  ochre-yellow  and  yellowish-brown.  In  some  varieties 
the  brown  colours  are  disposed  in  horizontal  stripes.  The  lustre 
is  glimmering;  the  fracture  is  splintery,  or  splintery  co-nbined 
Avilh  minute  foliated,  or  simply  granular  foliated,  and  some  va- 
rieties are  slaty.  It  is  more  or  less  translucent  on  the  edges,  and 
generally  yields  readily  to  the  knife.  Some  varieties,  however, 
are  so  hard  as  to  give  a  few  sparks  with  steel.  All  the  varieties, 
by  friction,  give  out  that  disagreeable  smell"  which  is  so  well 
known  in  stinkstone,  and  to  which  mineral  they  may  be  referred. 
The  external  characters  intimate  itsmagnesian  character,  which 
is  confirmed  by  the  experiments  of  Dr  Neill,  who  found  it  to 
contain  from  20  to  30  per  cent,  of  carbonate  of  magnesia. 

It  is  everywhere  very  distinctly  stratified,  and  the  strata  are 
uniformly  horizontal.  Imbedded  in  them  masses  of  chert  occur, 
but  not  frequently.  The  organic  remains  observed  in  the  lime- 
stone are  entrochites,  catinulariae,  spiropore,  turbinoliae,  favo- 
sitcs,  several  species  of  terebratulae,  a  trochus,  a  turritella,  and 
an  orlhoceralite. 

On  the  upper  parts  of  the  hills  around  PortBowcn,  generally 
on  the  surface  of  a  brick-red  limestone,  mentioned  by  Dr.  Neill 
in  the  Narrative,  were  found  masses  of  fibrous  brown  iron  ore. 
or  brown  hematite.  These,  in  all  probability,  were  derived  from 
veins  or  imbedded  masses  in  the  limestone.  In  the  clifi's,  caves 
are  of  fie(iuent  occurrence,  and  these  often  of  very  considerable 
magnitude. 

This,  which  may  be  called  Port  Bowen  limestone,  extends 
onwards  to  Cape  York,  and,  according  to  the  observations  made 
during  the  second  voyage,  even  to  Admiralty  Inlet  and  Bosses- 
sion  Bay,  and  was  met  with  as  far  south  in  Prince  Regent'* 
Inlet  as  the  Expedition  explored.  • 


i-  1 


GEOLOQV. 


237 


1  limC' 
f  lime- 
thc  fol- 


ss  incU- 
rarieties 
le  lustre 
-nbined 
ome  va- 
ges,  and 
lowever, 
varieties, 
9  so  weli 
referred, 
er,  which 
und  it  to 
sia. 

strata  arc 
ert  occur, 
the  limc- 
iliae,  favo- 
itella,  and 

generally 
Dr.Neill 
1  iron  ore» 
rived  from 
lifls,  caves 
nsiderable 

le,  extends 
Lions  made 
nd  Bosses - 
;  Regent's 


II.  Secondary  Lincatone  of  Xorth  Somerset. 

The  country  on  the  west  side  of  Prinoe  Regent's  Inlet,  named 
North  Somerset,  was  examined  in  part,  and  there,  as  on  the 
east  side,  at  Port  Bowen  and  elsewhere,  the  solid  stratified  rocks 
were  everywhere  of  secondary  formation,  and  the  principal  rock 
limestone.  The  specimens  from  that  quarter  exhibit  the  fol- 
lowing characters : — 

1.  Limestone  of  J\l'orth  Somerset. 

Its  colours  are  ash,  greyish-black, and  yellowish-grey;  lustre 
glimmering;  fracture  splintery,  or  splintery  combined  with 
minute  foliated,  and  some  varieties  slaty  ;  opaque,  or  more  or 
less  translucent  on  the  edges;  by  friction  yields  the  urinous  smell 
of  stinkstone,  but  not  so  strongly  as  most  of  the  limestones  of 
Port  Bowen,  It  is  distinctly  stratified,  and  the  strata  are  every* 
where  horizontal.  It  affords  the  same  organic  remains  as  the 
limestone  of  Port  Bowen,  with  addition  of  a  species  of  modiola. 
Of  all  the  fossils  the  terebratulae  and  encrini  appear  to  be  the 
most  abundant.  Caves  occur  in  it,'  as  at  Port  Bowen  ;  and  fre- 
tjuently  it  exhibits  cliffs  of  considerable  height. 

2.  Gy/isum  of  J^forth  Somerset. 

This  mineral  was  found  in  beds  several  feet  thick,  extending  for 
at  least  thirty  miles  through  the  country,  and  associated  with  a 
limestone,  which,  when  near  the  gypsum,  abounded  in  terebra- 
tulx,  also  contained  entrochi,  and  a  species  apparently  of  moui- 
ola.  All  the  varieties  of  this  gypsum  arc  of  a  snow-white  co- 
lour, and  of  these  the  granular  foliated^  X.\\^  Jibroua^  and  selenite, 
were  met  with,  but  not  the  compact.  The  selenite  was  very 
abundant,  and  its  broad  plates  at  a  distance  reflected  the  sun's 
rays  like  mirrors.  It  occurs  more  than  a  hundred  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea,  and,  with  its  slaty  limestone,  rests  on  the 
more  common  and  compact  kinds,  which  agree  in  every  cha 
racier  with  those  of  Port  Bowen. 


I 


H 


.  -1 
3 


) 


■v 


238 


xnnvrnx. 


Geognostical  Situation  of  the  Limestone  of  Port  Botvenj  Korth 

Somerset y  ^c. 

From  the  data  before  us,  it  is  not  easy  to  refer  all  the  limestones 
of  Prince  Regent's  Inlet  to  their  places  in  the  geognostical  se- 
ries. The  limestone  associated  with  gypsum  in  North  So- 
merset may  safely  be  referred  to  the  second  secondary  lime- 
stone formation,  the  first  or  oldest  floetz  limestone  of  Werner. 
The  lower  limestones  of  North  Somerset,  and  those  of  Port 
Bowen,  Neill's  Harbour,  and  of  most  of  the  country  on  the  east 
side  of  Prince  Regent's  Inlet,  may  either  form  part  of  the  se- 
cond secondary  limestone, — a  supposition  countenanced  by  the 
universal  horizontality  of  its  strata,  its  magnesian  character, 
its  brown  hematite,  and  certain  organic  remains  it'  contains ; 
or  it  may  belong  to  the  first  secondary  limestone,— a  conjecture 
not  destitute  of  plausibility,  when  we  recollect  its  imbedded 
chert,  and  the  characters  of  some  of  its  fossil  organic  remains. 
As  gypsum  and  limestone  occur  near  to  Possession  Bay,  we 
must  refer  these  to  the  second  secondary  limestone.  The  hori- 
zontality of  the  limestone  strata  on  the  north  side  of  Barrow's 
Strait  seems  to  point  it  out  as  probably  belonging  to  the  se- 
cond secondary  formation. 


III.  Alluvial  Rocks. 

ALLUviALmarly  deposites,  from  the  snow  waters  passing  through 
and  along  the  surface  of  the  limestone  strata  in  the  summer 
season,  occur  in  the  valleys,  and  on  the  shore  ;  also  fragments 
of  the  limestone  from  the  same  source.  The  limestone  hills 
around  Port  Bowen  and  Neill's  harbour,  and  the  whole  lime- 
stone country  extending  as  far  north  as  Cape  York,  and  to  the 
southward  as  far  as  Cape  Fitzgerald,  were,  as  Dr.  Neill  informs 
mc,  more  or  less  covered  with  boulders  of  primitive  rocks, 
which  were  either  rounded  or  angular.  Similar  boulders  were 
observed  strewed  over  the  limestone  on  the  west  side  of  Prince 
Regent's  Inlet  in  North  Somerset.  The  specimens  from  the 
boulders  around  Port  Bowen,  in  the  collection,  are  of  granite, 
sicnite,  gneiss,  indurated  talc,  hornblende-rock,  actynolite-rock» 


„    '* 


OEOLOGT. 


329 


I,  Korth 


estones 
tical  se- 
rth    So- 
ry  lime- 
Werner, 
of  Port 
the  east 
f  the  se- 
;d  by  the 
haracter, 
contains ; 
onjecture 
mbedded 
remains. 
Bay,  we 
The  hori- 
Barrow's 
:o  the  se- 


a  beautiful  quartzy  iron-glance,  and  brown  hematite.  The 
boulders  of  granite,  gneiss,  and  sienite,  were  the  most  numerous 
and  largest ;  those  of  talc,  actynolite,  and  ores,  less  numerous 
and  smaller.  Some  of  the  boulders  near  to  Port  Bowen,  Dr. 
Neill  informs  me,  were  upwards  of  50  tons  in  weight,  and  lay 
fully  400  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea ;  and  he  saw  a  boulder  of 
granite,  two  or  three  tons  weight,  resting  on  the  summit  of  the 
highest  limestone  hill  in  the  vicinity  of  Port  Bowen.  On  in- 
quiring as  to  the  mode  %\  distribution»of  these  boulders,  Dr. 
Neill  informed  me  that  they  were  nui  .erous  along  the  acclivi- 
ties of  the  hills  on  both  sides  of  Prince  Regent's  Inlet,  every- 
where resting  upon  the  secondary  limestone ;  but  on  leaving  the 
coast,  they  gradually  diminished  in  number  and  also  in  size, 
and,  at  a  distance  of  from  fourteen  to  sixteen  miles  from  the 
sea,  they  were  comparatively  rare,  and  in  general  not  larger 
than  a  closed  fist.  These  remarkable  masses.  Dr.  Neill  further 
mentioned,  more  nearly  resembled  the  primitive  rocks  of  the 
Whale-fish  Islands  than  of  any  other  quarter  visited  by  the  Ex- 
pedition ;  and  even  the  nearest  known  fixed  primitive  rocks 

wA*e  those  of   'T'PTK*   \^Jpt>y^^nAnm    ••i^>roaw)a  n{  ^xu*  I'tr^^-Jtw-r'    m*'    g 

distant. 


i 


(t 


g through 
?  summer 
fragments 
stone  hills 
lole  lime- 
nd  to  the 
11  informs 
ive  rocks, 
Iders  were 
of  Prince 
from  the 
tf  granite, 
olite-rock. 


•         • 


330 


APPENDIX. 


CONCLUDING  REMARKS. 


The  observations  made  during  the  four  Arctic  Expeditions, 
viz.y  that  under  Captain  Ross,  and  the  three  under  Captain 
Parry,  afford  the  following  general  facts  and  inferences : — 

1 .  That  the  regions  explored  abouwl  in  primitive  and  transi- 
tion rocks,  and  that,  although  the  secondary  rocks  occupy  con- 
siderable tracts,  still  their  extent  is  more  limited  than  that  of 
the  older  formations ;  that  the  alluvial  deposites  are  not  exten- 
sive ;  that  true  or  modem  vo)canic  rocks  were  nowhere  met 
with ;  and  that  the  only  traces  of  the  tertiary  strata  were  found 
in  the  sandstones  and  clays  connected  with  the  secondary  traps 
of  Baffin's  Bay. 

2.  That  the  primitive  and  transition  islands  were,  in  all  pro- 
bability, at  one  time  connected  together,  and  formed  a  continu- 
ous mass  with  the  continental  parts  of  America ;  and  th;u,  in 
the  plains  and  hollows  of  this  land,  were  deposited  the  secon- 
dary limestones,  sandstoneji,  gypsum,  and  coal,  and  upon  these 
again  the  tertiary  rocks. 

3  That,  after  the  deposition  of  these  secondary  and  tertiary 
rocks,  the  land  appears  to  have  been  broken  up,  and  reduced 
either  suddenly  or  by  degrees,  or  partly  by  sudden  and  violent 
action  and  partly  by  the  long-continued  agency  of  the  atmos- 
phere and  the  ocean,  into  its  present  insular  and  peninsular 
form ;  and  that,  consequently,  the  secondary  and  tertiary  for- 
mations were  formerly,  in  those  regions,  more  extensively  dis- 
tributed than  they  are  at  present.     * 

4.  That,  previously  to  the  deposition  of  the  coal  formation, 
as  that  of  Melville  Island,  the  transition  and  primitive  hills  and 
plains  supported  a  rich  and  luxuriant  vegetation,  principally  of 
cryptogamous  plants,  especially  tree  ferns,  the  prototypes  of 
which  are  now  met  with  only  in  the  tropical  regions  of  the 
earth.  The  fossil  corals  of  the  secondary  limestones  also  inti- 
mate that,  before,  during,  and  after  the  deposition  of  the  coal 
formation,  the  waters  of  the  ocean  were  so  constituted  as  to 


GEOLOGY. 


331 


support  polyparia  closely  resembling  those  of  the  present  equa- 
torial seas. 

5.  That,  previously  to  and  during  the  deposition  of  the  ter- 
tiary strata,  these  now  frozen  regions  supported  forests  of  di- 
cotyledonous trees,  as  is  shown  by  the  fossil  dicotyledonous 
woods  met  with  in  connexion  with  these  strata  in  Baffin's  Bay, 
and  by  the  fossil  wood  of  Melville  Island,  Cape  York,  and  By- 
am  Martin  Island.     • 

6.  That  the  boulders  or  rolled  blocks  met  with  in  different 
quarters,  and  in  tracts  distant  from  their  original  localities,  af- 
ford evidence  of  the  passage  of  water  across  them,  and  at  a  pe- 
riod subsequent'  to  the  deposition  of  the  newest  solid  strata, 
namely,  those  of  the  tertiary  class. 

7.  That  nowhere  are  there  any  discoverable  traces  of  the 
agency  of  modem  volcanoes;  and  we  may  add,  that  in  the  Arc- 
tic Regions  thfe  only  known  appearances  of  this  kind  are  those 
in  Jan  Mayen's  Island,  described  by  Scoresby. 

8.  Thattheonlyintimationsof  older  volcanic  action,  are  those 
afforded  by  the  presence  of  secondary  trap  rocks,  such  as  basalt, 
greens^'^ne,  trap-tufa,  and  amygdaloid. 

9.  That  the  black  bituminous  coal,  the  coal  of  the  oldest  coal 
formation,  which  some  speculators  maintain  to  be  confined  to 
the  more  temperate  and  warmer  regions  of  the  earth,  is  now 
proved,  by  its  discovery  in  Melville  Isknd,  far  to  the  west,  and 
in  Jameson's  land,  far  to  the  east,  in  Old  Greenland,  to  fonn 
an  interesting  and  important  feature  in  the  geognostical  consti- 
tution of  Arctic  countries. 

10.  That  the  red  sandstone  of  Possession  Bay,  8x,,  renders  iv 
probable  that  rock-salt  may  occur  in  that  quarter. 

11.  That,  although  no  new  metalliferous  compounds  have 
occurred  to  gratify  the  curiosity  of  the  mineralogist,  yet  the  re- 
gions explored  by  Captain  Parry  have  afforded  various  interest- 
ing and  highly  useful  ores,  such  as  octahedral  or  magnetic  iron 
ore,  rhomboidal  or  red  iron  ore,  prismatic  or  brown  iron  ore, 
and  prismatic  chrome  ore  or  chromate  of  iron  ;  also  the  com- 
mon ore  of  copper,  or  copper  pyrites,  molybdacna  glance,  or 
sulphurct  of  molybdaena;  ore  of  titanium,  and  that  interesting 
and  valuable  mineral,  graphite,  or  black  lead. 


.* 


.**.- 


•23;^ 


APPENDIX. 


^ 


12.  That  the  gems,  the  most  valued  and  most  beautilul  ol' 
mineral  substances,  are  not  wanting  in  the  Arctic  Regions 
visited  by  the  Expeditions,  is  proved  by  the  great  abundance  of 
the  precious  garnet,  which  we  doubt  not  will  be  found,  on  more 
particular  examination  of  the  primitive  rocks,  to  present  all  the 
beautiful  colours  and  elegant  forms  for  which  it  is  so  much  ad- 
mired. Rock-crystal,  another  of  the  gems,  was  met  with,  and 
also  beryl  and  zircon.  * 

13.  That  these  newly-discovered  lands  exhibit  the  same  ge- 
neral geognostical  arrangements  as  occur  in  all  other  extensive 
tracts  of  country  hitherto  examined  by  the  naturalist;  a  fact  which 
strengthens  that  opinion  which  maintains  that  the  grand  fea- 
tures of  nature,  in  the  mineral  kingdom,  are  every  where  simi- 
lar, and,  consequently,  that  the  same  general  agencies  must  have 
prevailed  generally  during  the  formation  of  the  solid  mass  of 
the  earth. 

14.  Lastly,  that  the  apparent  irregularities  which  at  first 
sight  present  themselves  to  our  attention,  in  the  grand  ar- 
rangements in  the  mineral  kingdom,  are  the  offspring  of  our 
own  feeble  powers  of  observation,  and  disappear  when  the 
phenomena  arc  examined  in  all  their  relations.  It  is  then  in- 
deed that  the  mind  obtains  those  enduring  and  sublime  views  of 
the  power  of  the  Deity,  which,  in  geology,  reward  the  patient 
t)bserver,  raise  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  interesting  de- 
partments of  natural  science  to  its  true  rank,  and  prove  that  its 
i-clations  connect,  as  it  were,  in  the  scale  of  magnitude,  the 
phenomena  of  the  earth  with  those  more  extensive  arrange- 
ments presented  to  our  intelligence  in  the  planetary  system, 
and  in  the  grand  framework  of  the  universe  itself. 


^  fi 


Robert  Jameso^. 


Royal  Museum,  College,  Edinburgh, 
Jpril  24,  1826. 


THE    END. 


* 


SUBSCRIPTIONS 


FOR  THE 


ll  of 
ions 
ce  of 
norc 
Ithe 
1  ad- 
,  and 

e  ge- 
nsive 
^hich 
fea- 
simi- 
have 
iss  ot* 

first 
d  ar- 
f  our 
n  the 
en  in- 
ws  of 
atient 
ig  de- 
lat  its 
?,  the 
»ange- 
^stcm, 


RECEIVED  BY 


H.  C.  CAREY  8l  I.  LISA, 

X    ^    -^        PHILADELPHIA.  ^. 


4. 
5, 
6. 


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ANNALS  OF  SPORTING, 

AND  ^  ' 

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Entirely  appropriated  to 

SPORTING  SUBJECTS  AND  FANCY  PURSUITS. 

Containing  every  Thing  worthy  of  Remark  on 
IIUNTIXG,  COCKING,  •  CRICKET 

rnm^T/^;?'  PUGILISAI,  ■  BILLIARDS, 

^OURSING,  WRESTLING,  ROWING, 

^^Jd^3  SINGLE  STICK,  SAILING, 

FISHING,  PEDESTRIANISM,  &c.  &c. 

Accompanied  with 
STRIKING  REPRESENTATIONS  OF  THE  VARIOUS  SUBJECTS, 

DRAWX  AND  ENORAVEU  BT  EMINENT  ARTISTS. 

Already  have  appeai*ed  in  this  Work  the  following  handsome  Cabinet  Pictures,  on  Sporting 
Subjects,  coloured  closely  after  Nature. 


,  1  The  Frontispiece,  represent- 
ing fifteen  several  species 
of  Sporting. 

2  Going  to  Cover, 

.T  Race-Horses  Exercising. 

4  Gi-ouse- Shooting. 

.'i  Breaking  Cover. 

C  Rattle  and  Clinker. 

"  Portrait  of  Jack  Spigot. 

8  Portrait  of  Piper. 

9  Portraitof  F  Mio  da  Puta. 
10  Racing — Mointing. 
U  Racing — Winning, 
i'i  Game  Cocks— The  Set-to 
13  Gudgeon-Raking. 


14  Exterior  View  of  the  Sta- 

bles of  J.  R.  Scott,  Esq.  at 
Cheltenham. 

15  Visit  to  the  Fives-Court. 

16  Duck-Shooting. 

17  Interior  View  of  the  Stables 

of  J.  R.Scott,  Esq. 

18  Partridge-Shooting. 

19  Sportsmen  Retreshing. 

20  North  American  Deer. 

21  Pigeon-Shooting 

22  Portrait  of  Theodore. 

23  Pheasant-Shooting. 

24  Full-Cry. 

25  Portir'tof  Tom  Hickman 


26  Fan,  a  celebrated  half  bred 

Bitch. 

27  Unkennelling. 

28  Skating  Match  at  Chatten's, 

29  Ferreting  Rabbits. 

30  Stag  at  Bay. 

31  Portrait  of  Colonel  Thorn- 

ton. 

32  Portrait  of  Magistrate,  a  ce- 

lebrated Stallion. 

33  Drawing  a  Badger. 

34  Portrait  of  Tom  Spring. 

35  Racing — Preparing  for  a  Sf- 

eond  Heat. 

36  Duck  Hunting,  &c.  &c. 


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III. 

IV. 


Contents  of  No.  XXII. 
Art.  I.  The  Holy  Bible. 

II.  Patten's  History  of  the  Rebellion. 
HI.  Bishop  Berkeley's  Sins. 

IV.  Life  of  Rice  ap  Thomas. 

V.  Tasso's  Rinaldo, 

VI.  Dr.  Joseph  Beaumont's  Psyche, 
VH.  Fyne's  Morgson's  Itinerary. 

VIII.  Lithgow's  Rare  Adventures. 
Contents  of  No.  XXIII. 

Art.  I.  The  Latin  Plays  acted  before  the 
University  of  Cambridge. 
Two  Choice  and  Useful  Treatises. 
Acts  and  Ordinances  of  the  Long 
Parliament. 
The  Sacrifice  of  Mass. 

V.  Burgmann's  Account  of  the  Con- 

version of  Solomon    Duitch    to 
Christianity. 

VI.  Kinaston's  Translation  of  Chau- 
cer's Troilus  and  Cressida. 

VII.  John  Clieveland's  Poetical  works. 
VIH.  Spencer's  Minor  Poems. 

IX.  The  Life  of  Mr.  Thomas  Firmin. 

Contents  of  No.  XXIV. 
Art.  I.  Memorials  of  the  Civil  War  in  the 
County  Devon. 

II.  Fielding's  Penal  Laws  of  London. 

III.  Dr.  Joseph  Beaumont's  Psycho. 

IV.  Roman  Comique  de  Scarron. 

V.  Habington's  Castara. 

VI.  Travels  of  Coriat,  Jun. 

VII.  Bishop  Corbet's  Poems. 

VIII.  The  Great  Evil  of  Health  Drink 
ing. 

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trospective Review  must  prove  an  invalua- 
ble publication.     In  addition  to  the  ar- 


I      '• 


*> . 


» 


i^  ■ 


i 


K-. 


I'eriodical  Works. 


xxn. 

f  the  Rebellion. 
s  Sins, 
homas. 

nont's  Psyche. 
8  Itinerary. 
Adventures. 
XXIII. 

cted  before  the 
nbridge. 
iJscful  Treatises, 
ices  of  the  Long 

Mass. 

unt  of  the  Con- 

non    Duitch    to 

slatjon  of  Chau- 
l  Cressida. 
's  Poetical  works, 
or  Poems. 

Thomas  Firmin. 

XXIV. 

civil  War  in  tho 

Laws  of  London, 
imont's  Psyche. 
de  Scan'on. 
tara. 
Lt,  Jun. 
s  Poems. 
1  of  Health  Drink 

e  of  Complexions, 
lies  the  place  of  a 
literature;  it  con- 
most  interesting 
ch  have  been  pub 
lencement  of  this 
eir  contents,  and 
of  their  authors, 
f  their  merits.    In 
supersedes  to  the 
:  reviewed,  and  in 
m  it  an  instructive 
e.     Many    of  the. 
)unt  is  given  arc 
hers  are  of  great 
e  whole  collection 
would  be  a  most 
undertakings  an 
rendered  in  a  great 
r  the  existence  ol 
ers  of  Old  Englisli 
;  country,  or  in  any 
icccss  to  extensive 
(ipossiblc,  the  Re- 
t  prove  an  invalua- 
Idition  to  the  ac- 


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No.  ni.  contains  as  follows.- 
Art.  I.  Buchon's    Edition    of    Froissart's 
Chronicle. 
II.  The  British  Code  of  Duel. 
HI.  Blanqui,  Voyage  en  AngletciTe  et 
en  Europe. 

System  of  Phonetic  Hierogly- 
phics—Dr.  Young  and  M.  Cham- 
pollion. 

Law  Abuses,  Pleading. 
Mc  Cuiloch's  Discourse  on  Poll-  ] 
tlcal  Economy. 

Dr.  Henderson's  History  of  An- 
cient and  Modem  Wines;  Topo- 
graphy of  all  the  Known  Vine- 
yards. 

VIII.  Wright's  Solution  of  the  Cam- 
bridge Problems. 

IX.  Present  System  of  Education. 

X.  Krilofl''s  Fables. 

XI.  Memoirs  of  the  Affairs  of  Europe 
fi-om  the  Peace  of  Utrecht. 

PERIODICAL  LITERATURE: 

1.  Edinburgh  Review;  ArticlcB 
relating  to  Parliamentary  Reform; 

2.  Quarterly  Review,  Articles  ou 
Classical  Literatiu-e. 

No.  VIII.  contains  aa  follows: 

I.  The  British  in  India. 

II.  Tremaine;  or  the  Man  of  Refine- 
ment. 
An  account  of  the  Experiments 

to  determine  the  Figure  of  the 
Earth  by  means  of  the  pendu- 
lum, &c.  &c.  by  Captain  Sabine, 
R.N. 

Administration  of  Provincial  Jus- 
tice. 

V.  The  Commercial  Power  of  Great 
Britain.    By  the  Baron  Dupin. 
Memoirs  of  the  Life  of  the  Right 
Hon.  R.  B.  Sheridan.     By  Thos. 
Moore. 

Memoirs  of  Samuel  Pepys,  Esq. 
F.  R.  S.  Secretary  to  the  Admi- 
ralty in  the  reigns  of  Charles  11. 
and  James  II. 

VIII.  A  Comparative  Estimate  of  the 
Mineral  and  Mosaical  Geologies. 
By  Granville  Penn,  Esq. 
Travels  among  the  Arab  tribes 
inhabiting  tlie  counti'ies  east  of 
Syria  and  Palestine.  By  J.  S. 
Buckingham. 


Art. 


III. 


IV. 


VI. 


vu. 


IX. 


■<!•:: 


I 


v.»- 


-» 


.:a«b— . 


^. 


w  ^ 


■  * 


Ma 


»•» 


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in  /Ae  presSf  and  speedily  m'i//  6e  published, 
BY  H.  C.  CAREY  &  I.  LEA, 

THE 

OPERATIVE  MECHANIC 


AND 


«*>^'i*ir\ 


BRITISH  MACHINIST, 


Exhibiting  the  actual  Construction  and  Practical  Uses  of  all  Machinery  and  Imple- 
ments at  present  used  in  the  Manufactories  of  Great  Britain,  with  the  real 
processes  adopted  in  perfecting  the  Useful  Arts  and  Na- 
tional Manufactures  of  every  description. 

.      By  JOHJSr  J>riCHOLSOJ>r,  Esq.  Civil  Engineer. 

First  American  from  tlie  last  London  edition,  with  additions. 


This  volume  is  designed  to  display,  in  a 
succinct  and  cheap  form,  and  in  a  correct 
and  comprehensive  manner,  the  actual 
state  of  scientific  improvement  as  it  is  at 
present  applied  to  the  productive  industry 
of  this  Empire;  not  as  the  same  knowledge 
already  exists  in  Books,  but  as  it  is  ac- 
tually found  in  Workshops  and  Manufac- 
tories of  the  highest  character.  It  will, 
therefore,  convey  every  desirable  informa- 
tion to  the  studious  and  improving  Mecha- 
nic and  Manufacturer,  relative  to  Engines 
and  Constructions  particularly,  and  to  all 
Branches  of  the  Metallic,  Woollen,  Cot- 
ton, Linen,  Silk,  Porcelain,  and  other  im- 
portant Manufactures. 

The  importance  of  diflTusing  and  equal- 
izing the  knowledge  of  Mechanical  Sci- 
ence, and  of  cnablmg  workmen  to  apply 
discoveries  and  improvements  in  all  bran- 
ches each  to  his  own  branch;  in  short,  a 
patriotic  desire  to  confer  every  possible 
extent  of  intelligence  on  operative  arti- 
zans,  and  to  enable  them  to  work  with 
their  heads  as  well  as  their  hands,  led  to 
the  planning  and  recent  establishment  of 
Mechanics'  Institutions  in  all  the  great 
towns  and  populous  manufacturing  dis- 
tricts of  this  empire  of  industry  and  inge- 
nuity. But,  in  the  arrangement  and  con- 
duct of  these  Institutions,  a  deficiency  of 
Books,  the  tools  of  knowledge,  was  dis- 
covered; and  it  appeared  that  Mccljanical 
Science  was  either  partially  mingled  with 
mucli  extraneous  mutter,  or  that,  when 
«pecially  displayed,  the  information  was 
more  theoretical  than  practical,  and  better 
adapted  to  the  study  of  the  philosopher 
than  to  the  workshop  of  the  real  mecha- 
nic. There  existed  no  general  system  or 
Bcpamtf  body  of  the  useful  sciences  in  any 
form;  the  ap])roxiniations  towards  com- 
plete works  were  theoretical  and  specul  i- 
livc;  and  the  few  works  which  had  a  prac- 


tical character  were  confined  to  single  ob- 
jects, interesting  only  to  particular  classes 
of  artizans,  and,  therefore,  in  no  degree 
answering  the  purpose  which  the  founders 
of  the  Mechanics'  Institutions  had  in  view, 
nor  which  cttected  the  object  of  inquisi- 
tive artizans  who  sought  in  Books  that  ge- 
neral information  of  which  they  stood  in 
need,  either  for  use  or  curiosity. 

This  condition  of  Mechanical  Literature 
in  1823,  gave  rise  to  the  present  work.  It 
was  planned  under  the  auspices  of  Dr. 
Birkbeck,  President  of  the  Mechanics' 
Institution  of  London,  and  executed  in 
1824  at  his  suggestion  by  Mr.  John  Nichol- 
son, a  gentleman  considr^red  as  specially 
qualified  for  the  duty,  by  education,  under 
a  father  whose  journal  of  science,  and  va- 
rious works,  had,  for  half  a  century,  placed 
him  at  the  head  of  the  scientific  world,  by 
much  experience  in  tlic  conduct  and  ar- 
rangement of  many  considerable  manufac- 
turing establishments;  and,  by  ull  those 
([ualities  of  precision  and  integrity,  wliich 
were  so  necessary  to  the  perfect  execution 
of  such  a  work. 

To  these  personal  qualifications  Mr.  Ni- 
chulson  superadded  an  extensive  acquaint- 
ance among  scientific  mechanics  of  the 
first  class,  of  whose  correspondence  he 
enjoyed  the  advantiige;  his  own  equally 
ingenious  family  co-opcrati-d  in  his  la- 
bours, and  Dr.  Birkbeck  himself  contri- 
buted some  chapters  on  branches  within 
his  own  particular  experience. 

The  work  is,  however,  before  the  pub- 
lic, and  if  a  rapid  sale,  an  increasing  de- 
mand, and  tlic  flattering  testimonies  of 
judicious  friends  are  tests  of  merit,  its  ap- 
pearance has  acquired  them  in  a  super- 
eminent  digree. 

The  Contents  will  convey  the  most  ac- 
curate notions  of  the  work;  and  it  is  oiiK 
necessary  ty  add,  that  the  text  is  illustrattii 


m- 


♦  ■/■ 


# 


«.  * 


-*■ 


JSI'icholsori's  Operative  Mechanir. 


)y  One  Hundred   Copper-plates,   rcpre- 
,^scntillg  nearly  five  hundred  macldnes,  and 
objects  connected  with  them  and  the  sub- 
■^  ject. 
■'-^      s  CONTENTS. 

T  On  Matter.       .        ^'fc- 

*){  the  action  ol  ilorces 
,    Friction 
■'       ,   Uic  Centre  of  Gravity 

Mechanicul  Poiveri^. 
The  Lever 
,      Wheel  ami  Axle 
Pulley 

Inclined  Plane 
Wedge 
Screw 
Simple    Combinations    of    the     Mechanical 
;         Powera. 

J\LU  Geerinff. 
Definition  of  Terms 
To  describe  the  Cycloid  and  Epicycloid 
On  Teeth  of  Wheels,  Spur  Gccr 
Bt^il  fio'cr 
Couplings.    Square  couplings  with  double  bear, 
inps 
Clutches  or  Glands 
Boring  Mill>Clutclies 
''  Self-easing  Coupling 

'  Bolton  and  Watt's  Coupling  Link 

'  '  Hook's  Universal  Joint 

Double  Univt-rsal  Joint 
Disengaging  and  Ue-engaging  Macliinery 
Sliding  Pullev 
Fast  and  Loose  Pulley 
Bayonet 
l^evor 

Tighiening  Holler 
Friction  Clutch 
Friction  Cone 
Self-disengaging  Coupling 
On  cqualiKing  the  Motion  of  Machiner)    ' . 
Steam-Engine  Governor 
Water-Wliccl  Governor 
Wind-Mill  (Jovfrnor 
Tachometer,  by  Donkin 
General  Observations. 

Animal  Sireiifflh. 
Immediate  Force  of  Men,  witbout  deducting 

for  Friction 
Performance  of  Men  by  Machines 
Force  of  Horses 
Work  of  Mides 

Kxtniordinary  Feats  of  Strength 
How  e\traorrlinary  Feats  may  be  performed  by 
Men  of  oixlinarv  Strengtb. 
'iViUer. 
Water-Mills 
Cndershot-Wheels 

Smeatoii's  Experiments  on, 
bv  Lanil)ert 


OversliOt-WheeU 


;'xt  isiUtistrutcil 


by  Burns 

Smeaton's  Experiments  on, 
by  Bums,  witlinnt  a  shufl 
<'lmiuof  Uuckvls 


nms  over 


Breast-Wlieils 

ill  wliicb  the  wafer 

tlie  Shuttle 
Lloyd  and  Ostell's  v       ;^' 

with  two  Shuttles 
Barker's  Mill  •       *'       * 

Tide-Mills 

Wiieel-race  and  Water-coursc     '       j. 
Mill -courses 

\\ater-co«rses  and  Dams 
Penstock  '  '    ' 

PentrougU  by  Smeaton 
Nouaille 
Metiiod  of  laying  oa  Water  in  Yoi-kslnre. 
Sluice  (■(ivernor 
Rules  for  constructing  Undersliot  Wheels, 

by  Ferguson 
bv  Brewstfi- 
I  reatises  on  Mill-Work 

niiui. 

N'ertical  Wiii<ltiiill.s 

I'osl  Mill 
Smock  Mill 

SiueiUon's  Experiments  on 
Modelling  of  Sails 
Clothing   and    nnclotbing    Sails 
whib-  ill  motion 
•j       Baines's  Sails 

Equalizing  the    motion    of  Sails 
with  eight  quaiiiaiisular  SrtiN 
Hoiizontal  Windmill 

Slmv>. 
Steam-F.ngiiie 

by  Savary 
Newcomeii 
AVatt 
Hnriiblower 

W«M)lf 

Bell-Oank  Fingiin- 
Vibralory  Engine 
Uotaloiy  Engine 
High-Pre-ssuiv  Engine 
Lean's  Reports 
General  Oliservatioii'. 

llnoWN's  VAeruM,  on  pjtEtjMATit  e\qi\i 
riow-Mills. 

Flour.Mills 

-Mill-Sloiies  \ 

Fenwick's  Tables  < 

Family.Mill 

Haiid-Mill 

FrM.l-Mill 

Kmading-Mill 

1{k\MK  Olf   THE  STIir.lVUTII  OF  MATKniAI.I 

Iftjilraulic  I'.iiqiiirx. 
'I'lie  'i'vmpaiiuin 
1).    I;i  I'liye's  Wheel 
The  Nitria 
The  I'.rsian  Whe.  I 
Palenioster  Work 
Hiel'o's  l''ouiit;iiii 
Darwin's  I'ligmc 
Hungarian  M.u'biiie 
BoswcII'm  iinpitivenient  of  ditlo 
The  spiral  I'ninp  ill  Zurich 
Desa.nuliei's  |)i:i«er  and  Biiekr' 


•> 


I      * 


*V» 


V 


8 


JWc/jofoo«'s  Operative  Mecluml 


■  B 


Saijeimt's  Machine  . 

Dearborn's  Pump-Engine 
Archimedes  Screw  ,    > 

Pressure  Engine  ' 

Treatises  on  Hydraulic  Engines 
Pumps.   The  Common  Pump 

Pump  with  little  Friction 
Pumps.  Sucking  Pump,  by  Taylor 

Todd's  improvement  of  the  Common 

Pump 
Lifting-Pump  -  . 

Forcing-l'urap 
Ctesebes'  Pump 
Stevens'  Pump 
Tyror's  Pump 
Franklin's  Pump 

Brunton's  Force  Pump  > 

Sraeaton's  three  Barrel  ditto 
Chain  Pump 

by  Coles 
Leslie's  method  of   working   Ships' 
1  Pumps 

Hand  Pump  by  Martin 

JekyI 
Clarke's  mode  of   applying  manual 
force  to  pumps 
Pump-Pistons,  by  Bonnaixl 

Uelidor 
Fire-Enginc  by  Newshara 
Rowntree 
Simple  Machines  acting  as  Acceaaora  to  Ma- 

nufuclurea. 
Jacks  for  Lifting  Weights 
Cranes 
Presses.  Cider-Press 

Screw-Press,  for  paper-mill 

Peek's  Press 

Bramah's  Hydrostatie  Press 

Bank-note  Press 
Printing-press,  by  Earl  Stanhope 
De  Haine 
Ruthveu 
Bacon  6t  Donkin 
Pile-Engines,  by  Vauloue 

Bunce 
Boring  Machine 
File  Cutting  Machine 
Ramsden's  Dividing  Machine 
Lathes  and  Turning  Apparatus  by  Maudeslcy 

Smart 
Manufacture  ofMetaU. 
Iron 
Steel 
Wire 
Lead 

Manufacture  nj' Fibrous  Materiah. 
Paper 
Cotton 
Wool  »      ■ 


Silk 
Flax 
Weaving 
Hemp  and  Rope 

Sundry  Manufactures. 
Saw-Mills 
Bark- Mill 
Oil-Mill 

Colour-Mill  ,  ,     .  • 

Indigo-Mill 
Pottery 


Clocks 


Horology. 


with  three  Wheels  and  two  Pinions,  b> 
Dr.  Franklin 
J.  Fei-guson 
for  exhibiting  the  apparent  daily  motions 
1  of  the  Sun  and  Moon,  and  state  of 

the  tides,  &c. 
Striking  part  of  an  eight-day  Clock 
description  of  curious  Clocks 
Watch 

Table  of  Trains 
Chronometer 
Escapements 

Recoiling  or  Crown-wherl 
by  Cumming 
'   for  Watch 
by  Prior 
J  byReid  >* 

by  De  la  Fons  ^ 

Pendulums 

Mercurial,  by  Grnliani 
Gridiron,  by  Hai-rison 
i  liCver,  by  Ellicoit 

Tubular,  by  Troughtoii 
by  Reid 
by  Ward 

Sympathy   of   tlie    Pendulums   of 
Clocks 
Building. 
Pretatory  Observations 
Mortar 
Brick-making 
Masonry  ,,       '      ' 

Bricklaying 

Carpentry  .,i 

Joinery  •       , 

Plastering  '      - 

Slitting. 
Pluinliing 
Painting 
Glaziilg 
Rail-Roads  and  Locomotive  Enginr<i 

Jppendir. 
Geometry 
Mensuration 
Useful  Re(eipfi< 
( ;iossnr\ . 


i. 


,.  '       ' 


■WN 


■% 


-•■    » 


iires. 


,  I 


two  Pinions,  hy 


rent  daily  motions 
oon,  and  state  of 

ht-day  Clock 
[flocks 


own-wheel 


nhaui 
rison 
t 
ii|i;hton 

le   Pendulums   ot 


Enginr-- 

X. 


